Kedar Jadhav and Virat Kohli gave India an unlikely win.
He has anchored some classic run chases in the ODIs but Virat Kohli feels that today's three-wicket win over England will take "some time to sink in" simply because it needed a "special partnership" to chase down a 351-run target after top-order collapse.
"This win is going to take a while to sink in," said Kohli. "What a terrific innings by Kedar. We have seen his potential in the series against New Zealand. He almost won us a game in Delhi. That's the chat we had. To rectify the mistake and take the team over the line. And Hardik finishing in the end. Two cool heads with Ashwin in the middle," said Kohli. What made it special was to regain the momentum after being reduced to 63 for 4.
"Conceding 350 after being 63 for 4, their bowlers on top, it took a special partnership to get this win. It's not that we have not chased 350 but those were based on good start at the top which provided the momentum. Chasing down 350 with four quicks in their team, it was a special feeling." Asked if he still fancied victory once both Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh were dismissed, he said:"At 60 for 4, yes, I was still thinking of a victory. The moment I saw Kedar striking well, I told him let's get to 150 for 4, and they will hit the panic button. Watch. Wicket is good.
"Kind of shots you can play on this wicket can demoralise the opposition. The way he batted was terrific, not at one stage was he unsure of what he wanted to do. Brilliant knock. Hats off to the shots he played. Even I was in awe. So very very special partnership, I would remember it for a long time." Asked about how he pushed Jadhav for doubles, Kohli smiled and said:"Yes I did push him hard for running. The best learning is out there in the middle. If you don't execute what you think and practise, it's hardly of any use. I wanted to push him to the maximum ability as I don't want him to feel complacent," said Kohli.
Kohli had some sympathy for the bowlers who were blasted for 350 runs. "The wicket was very placid so it was just a case of the bowlers trying their best. We bowled really well in the initial phases, but in the end they countered us really well. A case in point is that we could chase down the target even after being four down for 60." Kedar on his part said:"It is a great feeling that I could win a game for my country, that too at my home ground.
My mom, dad, my wife, my daughter are here. I could play this long because the captain Kohli has shown us how to chase big totals. I have already missed many chances with the batting. I have also missed chances to bat with Virat and watch him closely. It's tough to run with Virat, but I will get better." A distraught Eoin Morgan said:"We did have the runs" Asked about the pitch, Morgan said:"That's why we wanted to bowl first. Small ground, conditions are pretty tough for the bowlers. You think you are in the game, especially having them 60 for 4. It is tough to take, but credit to them. They didn't give us any chances. We didn't play at our best today.
We think we were in the game for most of it. So all is not lost. "We were at a tricky period between overs 35 and 45 where we were looking to get momentum into the business end. Credit to India for taking Jos's wicket. We would have liked to kickstart that charge earlier.
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