India captain Virat Kohli has shared that they were at least 30 to 40 run short of a good target against New Zealand in the inaugural edition of the World Test Championship (WTC) in Southampton. However, India were bowled out for 170 on the final day and Kohli said that New Zealand bowlers made all the differences in the morning session only.
“First up, a big congratulations to Kane and his team. They’ve shown great consistency and heart, and pull off a result in three days. They put us under pressure throughout the Test and did extremely well to win. It was difficult to get momentum on Day 2, and we did really well with the ball in the first innings. This morning was the difference where their bowlers executed their plans to perfection and didn’t give us scoring opportunities. We were 30-40 short of giving them a good target. I don’t regret announcing my XI beforehand, because you need an all-rounder in the side but we made a unanimous decision that these are the best XI we can take into the park,” Virat Kohli shared.
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However, New Zealand’s young speedster Kyle Jamieson was their pick of the bowlers. He claimed a five-wicket haul in the first innings whereas picked up another two in the second innings as well. Meanwhile, Kohli praised his Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) teammate and said, ‘he is coming up nicely in international cricket.’
“Jamieson is coming up nicely in international cricket – good areas with the ball, and he can bat quite well too. He’s had a great game and he deserves the man of the match award. It’s great for the game (WTC) and the more Test cricket is given importance, the better it will be for international cricket. It’s a great move by ICC. Test cricket is the heartbeat of the game. It’s a long summer ahead and we are really looking forward to the next series (Tests against England),” Virat Kohli concluded.
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Team India will next take on England in a five-match Test series in August as well.
