Indian captain Virat Kohli says he is “delighted” to have found players like Hardik Pandya and Kedar Jadhav for the sheer explosiveness they bring to the team’s lower-order batting.
Contrary to expectations, Kohli did not experiment much in the five-match ODI series against ninth-ranked West Indies, but he defended his decision after India wrapped up the rubber 3-1.
“You can’t take any series lightly. You can’t make a Hardik or Kedar bat at No. 3 and 4 and make your top-order batsman bat lower down. It’s still international cricket and you have to be respectful towards oppositions and whatever games that you play and it’s very important to understand what works for you as a team and you’ve got to keep sticking to it,” Kohli said after the eight-wicket win in the fifth and final one-dayer.
“We keep giving them confidence and both guys are very eager to make dents, which they have in the past, and we’re very confident of their abilities and we’re actually delighted to have found two lower order batsmen who can play that explosive cricket.”
After two low scores, Kohli was determined to make it count yesterday, and he was satisfied that he could.
Kohli celebrated his 18th hundred in a chase, surpassing Sachin Tendulkar’s record, with a resounding roar that was heard across Sabina Park.
“I don’t like to get out in similar fashion more often. The reason you succeed at international cricket is that you have to stretch the gap between your mistakes and I think a couple of mistakes from me, getting out in the same manner is something that I don’t really like,” he said at the post-match press conference.
The batting mainstay added, “So it was more of being a little strict on myself and getting the team across the line, which I knew the victory was inevitable when I got the hundred and it was all about the satisfaction of actually planning the innings out and executing it well and that always feels nice and something that I like to be hard on myself, not getting out in the same manner too many times.”
