ICC T20 World Cup 2021: "Definitely not a good show" - Virat Kohli reacts after thumping defeat against Pakistan
Indian skipper Virat Kohli lauded the Pakistan cricket team after they thumped the Men in Blue by 10 wickets on Sunday at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
Babar Azam & Co. were the better side of the two on the field as India's unbeaten run in T20 World Cups against Pakistan came to an end. Kohli conceded that losing too many wickets upfront was the decisive factor in the high-voltage clash.
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Speaking at the post-match presentation ceremony, Virat Kohli said:
"Definitely not a good show. We did not execute the things we wanted to. Must give credit where it is due and Pakistan completely outplayed us.
"When you lose too many wickets upfront it was always going to be difficult given the conditions. With dew coming in it made it tougher in the second half."
India rode on Virat Kohli's half-century to post 151 runs on the board after an early collapse, thanks to Shaheen Afridi. The 21-year-old speedster removed both openers, Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul, early to leave India reeling at 6/2.
Kohli asserted that the wicket got better in the second half with the dew coming in.
"With dew coming in it made it tougher in the second half. The wicket played a bit slow in the first half but it quickened a bit in the second half with the dew coming in.
"You need those 15-20 extra runs when you know the conditions will change but they bowled extremely well and made it difficult for us. With the dew coming in the slower bowlers were not effective either," Virat Kohli continued.
Pakistan's opener produced a brilliant run chase, going past the target with all their wickets intact. Mohammad Rizwan remained unbeaten on 79 runs while captain Babar Azam supported him well with 68 runs.
"We definitely are not a team to press the panic button" - Virat Kohli
Tough day for #TeamIndia at the office, but we will bounce back in our next game.
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When quizzed on whether this defeat will have an impact on the side in the upcoming matches, Virat Kohli stated that there will be a chat among the members ahead of the next game.
"We definitely are not a team to press the panic button. There definitely will be a chat before the next game but it is just the first game of the tournament and everybody knows what needs to be done," Virat Kohli concluded.
India play New Zealand in their next T20 World Cup game on Sunday in Dubai.