India were left licking their wounds after succumbing to a stunning 11-run loss against West Indies while chasing a modest 190 at North Sound on Sunday to keep the series alive.
India captain Virat Kohli rued the shot selection from some of his batsmen. His opposite number finished with career-best figures of 5/27 to regularly impede the visitors’ momentum, “Our shot selection wasn’t up to the mark,” Kohli said. “Losing crucial wickets at crucial stages. You’ve got to keep up the momentum through the game,” he added.
With modern day pitches loaded in favour of the batsmen, it is not often that one finds a match with two top teams not scoring over 200. Kohli observed that the pitch was “a bit two-paced”.
“We bowled really well to restrict them to 189,” he said. Kohli, who has been subdued in the series by his standards, lauded Holder and his men, “Credit to the West Indies bowlers. They created those dot balls that induced those mistakes,” Kohli added.
The 28-year-old, though, viewed the result as a mere aberration. While Ajinkya Rahane became only the third Indian batsman to score four consecutive fifties in a bilateral series, former captain MS Dhoni played a bizarre 114-ball 54, which included just one boundary.
Kohli urged his team to move on. He said: “The bowlers were on the mark, and the fielders as well. With the bat we faltered and that can happen in this game. We just have to put this behind us and come back fresh for the next game.”
