Kohli blames batsmen, poor fielding for loss
So dominant was the opener in his 125* that hosts won with nine wickets to spare Dinesh (Karthik) was good, but we needed someone to get 8090, which a team needs in
T20. We didn’t start well with the ball and didn’t field well either
goes big. It is difficult to stop him. He doesn’t give his wicket away. He hits the ball cleanly and also hits in some funny areas that takes a while for teams to get accustomed to. By the time you get accustomed to, he is already fifty-odd and heading to 90 or a 100,” said Brathwaite.
It turned out to be true because by the time India got him to play a false stroke, he was close to fifty.
As luck would have it, the shocked Indians gave him a couple of lives.
First, Shami barged into a catch that Kohli already had in sight, and spilled it. Then, Karthik spilled one, blaming the wind and the fact that he got confused with Kohli coming in to attempt it.
Lewis began quietly, scoring just seven off the first 10 balls. However, he launched into Shami and Ashwin.
Soon after he got the lives, he lost opening partner Chris Gayle. But he settled down after that. India skipper Virat Kohli laid the blame on poor fielding and his batsmen falling short by 20-30 runs after West Indies thrashed India by nine wickets in the one-off T20 International at the Sabina Park on Sunday. “We could have added 25-30 runs extra. We were on course for 230. In the field, we dropped a few chances and if you don’t grab them, you don’t deserve them,” said Kohli after the match.
The skipper said the failure to have someone bat through and make 80 or 90 hurt them a lot.
“If you have a good start up the order, one batsman has to bat through. I think Dinesh (Karthik) was good, but we needed someone to get 80-90 which a team needs in T20 cricket. Then, we didn’t start well with the ball and didn’t field well either.” India fielders dropped centurion Evin Lewis twice, once by Mohammed Shami and later Karthik as the left-handed batsman led the hosts to a ninewicket win.
Kohli, however, said the India team is in an experimental stage and through matches like these the players are learning to deal with various situations in T20 cricket.
“West Indies have a good T20 team, they have carried on with the same team for a couple of years. We are in an experimental stage and have had our ups and downs. But we need to keep going. T20 cricket is anyone’s game, and one game doesn’t make a series.”