IND vs ENG | I am going to open in the IPL as well, reveals Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli has revealed that him opening with Rohit Sharma in Ahmedabad was not one-off as he is going to open the innings for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the upcoming IPL as well. The Indian skipper was full of praise for Rohit Sharma, with whom he added 94 runs for the opening wicket.
After going through a torrid run of form in the Test series and the first game of the T20I series, Virat Kohli stormed back in some fashion, scoring three half-centuries, all in the north of the 70-run mark. Today, with KL Rahul missing out, Kohli opened the batting with Rohit Sharma and the duo took the maximum benefit of the powerplay to add 60 runs in the first 6 overs. One would wonder if it was one-off, propelled by Rahul's form and Ishan Kishan's injury, but Kohli clarified that he is going to open the innings in the IPL as well.
"I am going to open in the IPL as well. Have batted in different positions in the past. But I feel we have a solid middle order now. Will definitely like to partner Rohit at the top. Other guys feel a lot more confident when one of us is still in and is set. Augurs well for the team," Kohli said in the post-match presentation.
With Rohit putting up his first substantial innings of the series, India was poised for a big total from the beginning and Kohli couldn't have been happier. The Indian skipper added that his partnership with Rohit Sharma was fantastic from a team point of view.
"It was a complete game for us. Totally outplayed the opposition. Even with so much dew coming in, like last game we've defended the total again. Today was a complete game. Despite Rishabh and Iyer not getting a chance we put on 225. Testimony to our batting depth. Today Rohit and me were both positive in our intent. We knew we could trust each other and one of us can play second fiddle if one takes off. Today it was classic Rohit Sharma. And then Surya coming in at three and taking the game even further away. Then Hardik finishing it."
Shreyas Iyer was one of the biggest positives for India for the kind of adaptability the Mumbaikar showed in the course of the series. His 67 in the opening game was what the situation demanded as did his innings in the fourth game. While Kohli is very pleased with the knocks, he was particularly effervescent in his praise for Suryakumar Yadav, whose maturity belied his international experience.
"Also how Shreyas batted in the last game and the responsibility he showed in the first game. Ishan was brilliant. I was particularly pleased with Surya. Bhuvi coming back and bowling like that. Still have Jassi to come back. Don't have much in terms of negatives. Pant showed a lot of maturity through the series as well. Confidence level of Thakur after that series in Australia is sky high. WIth the ball his strength is his belief. Proper cricketer. Giving us runs with the bat as well. Just found out we might have some more (T20Is)," the Indian skipper concluded.
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