The Indian skipper, Virat Kohli failed to get India over the line in the third and the final T20I against South Africa at Bengaluru, just a few weeks after a 3-0 thrashing of the West Indies in the Caribbean. After the series opener was washed out in Dharamsala, India won the second T20I in Mohali but suffered a forgettable loss in the final T20I on Sunday.
After the match, Virat Kohli justified his decision to bat first by saying his team is willing to take risks and “get out of comfort zone”. During the post-match press conference, Kohli said, “Even when you want to win a game of cricket you have to take risks, so nothing is a given, nothing is a guarantee before you start playing. I think as a team if we are willing to get out of our comfort zone a lot more, then we will be unfazed with what happens at the toss. That’s our basic idea: trying to take the toss out of the equation as aside.”
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In the last six T20Is at this venue, none of the captains had opted to bat first and Virat did the unusual to ensure that his team becomes stronger in defending totals as well. He said that unless they start taking those risks, they always feel pressured in most of the situations. Kohli reckons that such decisions will take the toss out of the context.
Virat also said that it won’t be fair to be harsh on bowlers as 134 was not a good enough score to defend on this surface. After the limited-over challenge, India’s focus will now be shifting towards the on a three-match Test series. According to the captain of the number one-ranked Test team, his side is one of the best in home conditions.
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Kohli explained, “Our Test team is as strong as it gets in world cricket, especially in our conditions we are one of the best teams. We know exactly what we need to do. The kind of bowling attack that we have is always going to be challenging, but at the same time, you have to respect all opposition and make sure that you are playing consistent, solid cricket in all the sessions.”
The first Test will be played in Visakhapatnam from October 2 to 6.
