Kolkata, Jan 22: The poor form of Indian openers in the ODI series against England is not a concern for captain Virat Kohli, who on Sunday (Jan 22) said they need to be given some time.
Match scorecard; Ind-Eng T20I series schedule; Photos
India lost to England by five runs to end the three-match series 2-1. The openers, Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul and Ajinkya Rahane scored a total of 37 runs with Rahane playing just Sunday's game and scoring just one.
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"Lot of positives for us as a team. Even Bhuvi (Bhuvneshwar Kumar) with the ball in the second game. Even today the partnership was outstanding. These guts showed character and stuck at it under pressure. That for me is a standout, the way the relatively young guys have performed and the way Yuvi and MS played," Kohli said.
Kohli added that having Pandya, who scored 115 runs and took five wickets in the series, is immensely helpful as it gives an opportunity to play two seamers and two spinners.
"If you see teams around the world, they have a fast bowling all-rounder which really gives the team a lot of balance. It allows you to play that extra batsman and play two seamers and two spinners," the captain said.
"He bowled really well in the first and the third game. Even today he picked up three wickets. Bowled in really good areas. He was one of the few bowlers who was hitting the deck hard and getting purchase off it. With the bat as well, he has got good instinctive play and has become more smarter and intelligent with more games," he added.
The team will travel to Kanpur on Monday (Jan 23). The first of the three T20s starts next Thursday (Jan 26).
IANS