Kohli aims to enjoy his break after 3rd ODI: The Indian captain was relieved to have won the series before traveling back home.
Advertisement
India captain Virat Kohli sounded of relief and and relaxation after becoming only the second India captain after Mahendra Singh Dhoni to have won an ODI series in New Zealand. Speaking during the post-match presentation, the 30-year old cricketer admitted that he couldn’t have asked for a better performance from his players.
“Three clinical games for us. Couldn’t have asked for a better performance after the first two clinical games. The relentlessness of the side is something that really pleases me.
“We really enjoy ourselves and even at the end when Rayudu and Karthik were batting, we were sitting in the change room and cheering for every run. That’s how the environment in the dressing room is,” Kohli was quoted as saying.
ODI winners in South Africa, Australia & now New Zealand!! What a performance by #TeamIndia. Consistently upping the bar. #INDvsNZ
— Suresh Raina🇮🇳 (@ImRaina) January 28, 2019
Happy with the clinical performance. Great team effort. 💪😀 pic.twitter.com/pmVJK3inqF
— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) January 28, 2019
Coming on the back of a 2-1 series victory in Australia, India were expected to receive stiff competition in New Zealand. India’s unassailable 3-0 lead in the series speaks highly about their domination across the Tasman sea which has made a strong New Zealand unit (especially at home) look terrible in both batting and bowling.
Kohli mentioned that the players belief in their skills is yielding results for the team and was hopeful of the team winning the last two matches as well. “The guys believe in their skills and they are showing it on the field. When a guy doesn’t get runs in a couple of games, he’s actually hungry to score runs and the opposition feels a bit nervous because he’s gonna fire at some stage.
My pick from the Indian team in the 3 matches is Mohamed Shami. Had lost his place in the ODI team and possibly may not have been included if Bumrah was around. Shami hit good rhythm in Aus and has since become better with every match, testing batsmen with pace, skill, hostility
— Cricketwallah (@cricketwallah) January 28, 2019
Test and ODI wins in Australia; now a one day series triumph in NZ; take a bow team India and @imVkohli .. and how about a word of praise for @RaviShastriOfc and the team mgt too? Total Domination!! #NZvsIND
— Rajdeep Sardesai (@sardesairajdeep) January 28, 2019
“So, that’s the kind of confidence we carry in the team right now; in the batting department as well as the bowling department. The guys are making those impactful performances and that’s why we have been winning convincingly. Hopefully we can win the last 2 games,” he added.
Kohli will be flying back home for he has been rested for the last two ODIs and the T20I series. Since the last week of November, Kohli has been on the road. The decision was taken considering his workload in mind.
Being asked about the same, Kohli said, “I haven’t had a break for a long time. It’s been a very hectic Australian tour and now I go on a break very happy 3-0 up sealing the series. I can relax and enjoy my break. Someday someone has to take your place and that’s how the game goes. I’m pretty happy contributing for the team as much as I can.”
