CWC 2019: IND vs AFG – Kohli hails team’s character after nervy win
After defeating major teams comfortably, India almost stumbled against the most struggling side of the tournament. Afghanistan had been dominated by every opposition in this World Cup so far and the in-form Indian side was expected to crush them ruthlessly. However, Men in Blue posted only 224 in the first innings. Afghans responded with a brave fight, only to be blown away by the Indian pace bowlers. Captain Virat Kohli was elated by the efforts put in by his side.
Also read: Match review of India-Afghanistan
In the post-match interview, Kohli spoke about his bowlers and especially Mohammed Shami, who picked up a hat-trick to secure the win. “All in all, the bowling performance was outstanding. Everyone’s waiting for an opportunity and I think Shami was really good today and especially his first spell, he was making the ball do more than anyone else today. Vijay Shankar has come in and he showed intent and he is fielding really well. It’s an honour for everyone to represent their country in the World Cup,” said the skipper.
Jasprit Bumrah stole the show in his lethal 10-over spell. Admiring World’s number one ODI bowler, Kohli said, “Its simple we wanted to use him (Bumrah) smartly when the conditions allow him to. He gets a long spell and because he can pick wickets in the spell he can get you quick wickets. He is the bowler who can do the damage at any stage of the innings and the opposition knows that as well. The communication was to finish him off at 49th over so that Shami has enough runs to defend in the last over and yeah the plan worked really well today.”
Earlier, Kohli had proved his class with a scintillating knock of 67 runs from 63 balls. On a sluggish track at Southampton, the ball was not coming onto the bat easily. Kohli rotated the strike with his usual flair and batted with a strike-rate higher than any of his team-mate. “As soon as I went in I understood the pace of this pitch, cross batted shots are not easy on this pitch and you gotta play with a straight bat. I was able to rotate strike…I figured out that playing with the straight bat is the only way you can get runs on this pitch,” explained India’s top-scorer.
“This game was way more important to be honest as I said it didn’t go as plan. But when things don’t go your way, you need to show some character and bounce back and fight till the last ball and that shows the character of the team. We take a lot of heart from this win and take the confidence going forward,” Kohli spoke. With four wins from five games, India is now third on the points table. They will clash with West Indies at Old Trafford, Manchester on 27th June (Thursday).
