Synopsis
In a thrilling Champions Trophy match, Virat Kohli's impressive century led India to a six-wicket triumph over Pakistan. Rohit Sharma reflected on the team's expectations of Kohli's performance and praised the bowlers for their crucial contributions, emphasizing the importance of experience and teamwork in achieving their victory.Key Takeaways
- Virat Kohli scored his 51st century.
- India chased down 242 runs with 45 balls to spare.
- Bowling performances by Kuldeep Yadav and Hardik Pandya were key.
- Pakistan's captain Mohammad Rizwan acknowledged their mistakes.
- Fielding improvements are necessary for Pakistan moving forward.
Dubai, Feb 23 (NationPress) Following Virat Kohli’s remarkable unbeaten century - his 51st in this format - which propelled India to a six-wicket victory against Pakistan in a crucial Champions Trophy match, captain Rohit Sharma stated that the team was not at all surprised by the veteran batsman's ability to deliver such an outstanding performance on a significant platform.
Kohli's exquisite innings, featuring seven boundaries, helped India chase down the target of 242 with 45 balls to spare. "Virat thrives when representing his country. He enjoys being out on the field for the team and performing at his best, as he demonstrated today. The players in the dressing room are not astonished by his achievement," Rohit remarked during the post-match presentation.
He also acknowledged the bowlers, particularly Kuldeep Yadav with figures of 3-40 and Hardik Pandya with 2-31, for establishing the foundation for victory by dismissing Pakistan for 241. "The start we got with the ball was commendable from our bowling unit. We relied on our experienced batting lineup to secure those runs," he said.
"The credit belongs to the players in the middle. They have considerable experience in this format and understand what is expected of them. We aimed to stay at the crease for as long as possible. We also need to acknowledge Pakistan's bowling performance; it was commendable from their entire team," he continued.
"Everyone contributed effectively and executed their responsibilities. Much of the credit goes to the players. Rizwan and Saud formed a significant partnership, which was essential in keeping the game competitive. We have played a lot of cricket together, particularly in this format.”
“It can be challenging at times as some players won't bowl all 10 overs. I try to identify who poses the greatest threat to the batters and make tactical choices. (My) hamstring is fine at the moment.
Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan conceded that 280 would have been a competitive score for them after opting to bat first. The defeat to India now places the defending champions Pakistan on the brink of an early exit from the eight-team tournament.
"We believed 280 was a good target for that pitch, but their bowlers performed exceptionally well. Saud Shakeel and I took our time because we aimed to bat deep, but after that, we made some poor shot selections. They bowled excellently, applied pressure on us, and that is why we only managed 240.
"When you lose, it indicates a lack of performance across all areas. They were more aggressive, and we failed to take the wickets we needed. We missed opportunities to constrain them. Abrar provided us with Shubman Gill's wicket, but Kohli and Gill took the game away from us. We need to enhance our fielding. We recognize that we made numerous mistakes in this match and the previous one, and we can certainly improve on that.
