XtraTime Web Desk: It needed a thrilling performance from the bowlers in such a small ground to defend 314 against against Bangladesh, as Jasprit Bumrah turned out to be the ever reliable option for Virat Kohli to cement their place to the Semi finals.
After such a stinging contest, Kohli said, “Bangladesh has played some really good cricket in the tournament. They deserve a lot of credit for the fight they put up, even till the last wicket I think they were in the game. We had to work hard for the win but very happy that we saw ‘Q’ (Qualified) in front of the team in the table now.”
Kohli said, “Another game as an opportunity for us to do the same things we have done so far in the tournament, and I think that will keep us in the frame of mind heading towards the semi-final. And as I said, we are really really happy that we qualified for the semi-final with one more game to go.”
Applauding Hardik Pandya he continued, “We experienced that when Hardik was put under pressure, he has come back well in the tournament. He finds a way to contain runs and get you wickets, he’s really looking forward to do stuff for the team and that’s really helping his cricket. When he comes on to bowl he thinks as a batsman and that helps him to think, think what the batsmen could do. You always have that extra bit of cushion when you have someone like that, he actually wants the ball, so that he can check the body language (of batsmen), he’s really bowling well.”
The Indian skipper confessed, “Playing with five bowlers was a gamble but we had to change the combinations because of the ground dimensions. We wanted to try out a perfect combination when we play with such a small boundary, as we can’t be playing with the same combination for every pitch and every dimension we play. So we needed to be a bit flexible and we got the result today.”
Praise came for Rohit Sharma, as Kohli mentioned, “I have been watching it for years now, I have been saying it publicly, in my opinion Rohit is the best One-day player. When he plays, we are heading towards a big score and really happy with the way he’s playing.”
Thanking Bumrah, the captain said, “Bumrah’s overs were always going to be crucial, you can bank on him. He’s the number 1 bowler at the moment and he can execute his plans. We can look to capitalise on situations when you can get those extra 30 runs. Very happy with the way the team has played, Sri Lanka is also a good side, so would like to continue playing well against them.”