IND vs ENG | Surprised Shardul wasn't the man of the match and Bhuvi wasn't the man of the series, exclaims Virat Kohli
Shardul bowled brilliantly today
|Virat Kohli is surprised that Shardul Thakur was not adjudged the man of the match and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who had a stunning series, was not awarded the man of the series. Kohli has conceded that the fielding was not good but he added that catches being put down is a regulation thing in cricket.
Shardul Thakur is enjoying the time of his life as after hitting a 21-ball 30, he came out all guns blazing to dismiss four England batsmen to keep India in the game. Similarly Bhuvneshwar Kumar, on his return to international cricket, made everyone sit up and take notice with some brilliant bowling displays throughout the tour to ensure India won the T20I series 3-2 and ODI series 2-1. Thus Kohli is surprised how come the awards were not presented to his teammates but went to Sam Curran and Jonny Bairstow respectively.
"I'm surprised Shardul wasn't the man of the match, and Bhuvi wasn't the man of the series. A lot of credit to them for bowling so well in adverse conditions. Prasidh and Krunal were impressive but death overs batting was extremely good, despite the early wickets," Kohli said in the presentation.
India reduced England to 200/7 with three tailenders to come. However, Sam Curran kept the home side at bay till the penultimate over where England fell agonizingly short of the target. The battle was top-drawer with both the ODI and T20I series giving plenty of moments to make this tour a memorable one. Kohli stated that when the top-two battle each other, exciting games are bound to happen.
"When the top-two battle each other, we'll get exciting games. No one will throw in the towel, and Sam played a really good innings to keep them in the hunt. However, our bowlers picked up wickets, and it moved from us finishing it off to them getting over the line before Hardik and Nattu pulled it back," the Indian skipper said.
India dropped as many as four catches, with every drop, at that moment, had the potential to change the course of the game. However, Kohli is not too concerned about the same, saying chances are put down at every level.Â
"It's most disappointing for the guy who drops the catch, but as much as you get disappointed, catches get put down and sometimes they cost you. There's no lack of intent, and our body language was outstanding. Eventually, we got over the line," Kohli added.
