Indian captain Virat Kohli had a wonderful T20I series against England, despite losing 4 tosses in the five matches, but inspired his team to win the series 3-2 from being 2-1 down. India won the second and fourth T20Is to draw level in the series, before coming up with a champion performance in the deciding fifth T20I.
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Image Credits: BCCI
India batted first after England captain Eoin Morgan won the toss, but their batsmen came to the party as the Men in Blue put up 224/2 in 20 overs. India captain Virat Kohli top-scored with 80*, while Rohit Sharma made 64. Suryakumar Yadav (32 in 17 balls) and Hardik Pandya (39* in 17 balls) provided the final over impetus to the team which took them to an above-par total.
Virat Kohli Did An Amazing Job As A Captain And As A Batsman Today: Parthiv Patel
Former India keeper-batsman and Virat Kohli’s India and Royal Challengers Bangalore teammate Parthiv Patel was all praises for the Indian captain for both his leadership and batsmanship as well. Kohli hit 3 half-centuries in the five-match T20I series- 73*, 77* and now 80* and was named the Player of the Series as well.
“No amount of praise is enough for Virat Kohli the batsman and captain. He did an amazing job as a captain today. He brought the main bowlers whenever wickets were required and changed the course of the game,” said Patel.
Parthiv lauded the way Kohli anchored one end of the Indian batting and when needed took the attack to the England bowlers as well. Patel said that other Indian batsmen like Rohit, Suryakumar, and Hardik deserved praise for taking pressure off Kohli, allowing him to play his natural game.
“He was in good form, had scored two consecutive half-centuries although he did get out early in the last match. But here we need to praise the other batsmen as well along with Virat Kohli because they allowed Virat Kohli to play his own game. The shots he played, if there was power from one side, he showed the silken touch at the other end,” added Patel.
