The Way We Fielded, Bowled, We Did Not Deserve To Be On The Winning Side: Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli-led India lost the third and final ODI against New Zealand by five wickets to suffer a clean sweep in the the three-match series. Despite the momentum being on India’s side after their five-nil win in the T20Is, New Zealand showed remarkable character to bounce back and win all the three ODIs.

Asked to bat first, the visitors finished on 296 for 7 with in-form KL Rahul scoring a fine century. Shreyas Iyer also impressed once again as he scored 62. However, there was not much contribution from other batsmen. India also failed to finish their innings strongly as both Rahul and Manish Pandey departed on consecutive deliveries in the 47th over.

For New Zealand, Hamish Bennett was the pick of the bowlers. The right-arm pacer picked up four wickets off 64 runs including the prized scalp of Virat Kohli. He also accounted for Rahul and Pandey which eventually stopped India from crossing the 300-run mark.

Colin de Grandhomme does it! Finishes it with a boundary to complete a 5 wicket win! He finishes 58* from 28 while Latham is 32* from 34. A 3-0 ODI series win over India. Scorecard | https://t.co/ME4kbXC4Jg #NZvIND pic.twitter.com/c4MMxES8rg

— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) February 11, 2020

In reply, New Zealand chased down the total inside 48 overs to register their fourth consecutive win over India in the ODIs. Unlike India, New Zealand were off to a great start once again as their openers Martin Guptill and Henry Nicholls added 106 runs for the first wicket.

Guptill scored 66 while Nicholls scored 88. India managed to claw their way back in the game when they took some quick wickets to reduce the visitors to 220 for 5. The match was looking to end in a thrilling manner before Colin de Grandhomme’s 28-ball 58 runs knock settled the game in New Zealand’s favour.

Speaking at the end of the game, India skipper Virat Kohli was not too harsh on his team although he criticised his teammates’ bowling and fielding. Virat Kohli also rued India’s failures to grab the opportunities.

“The games were not as bad as the scoreline suggests. But the way we fielded and bowled, the composure wasn’t enough to win games. Didn’t deserve to be on the winning side this series. Haven’t played so badly, but we didn’t grab opportunities,” said Virat Kohli.

“They played with lot more intensity than we did. They deservedly won 3-0. We are excited for the Test series. We now have a balanced team and need to step out on the park with the right kind of mindset,” he concluded.