Click it and Unblock the Notifications
Sporting Buzz
-
CSK vs LSG IPL 2024: 'Stupendous, Gem' - Twitter fills Ruturaj Gaikwad with Love as CSK Captain creates History -
On This Day in IPL: CSK Played their First Match at Chepauk, Dhoni scored first 20th Over Six -
IPL 2024: 'MI players have not bought into Hardik Pandya as the captain', Ex-India player makes shocking claims -
Pakistan Cricket Team Needs Top-Order Strike Rate Shake Up; Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan Must Fire Runs 'Quick' -
Boria Majumdar: 'He Lied Through His Teeth'; Deserves Apology From Cricketer For Social Media Abuse -
Shubman Gill Record Against Delhi Capitals & Stats in Arun Jaitley Stadium Ahead Of DC vs GT IPL 2024 Match 40 -
'MS Dhoni Angry and Throwing Helmet': CSK Legend Suresh Raina reveals shocking IPL Tale -
International Creators Day 2024: A peek at the rise of India's top Gaming Creators and their path to stardom -
Legends Cricket League: Manager charged with Match Fixing Allegations after International Stars launch complaint -
DC vs GT Head To Head Record, Results & Stats in Arun Jaitley Stadium Ahead of IPL 2024 Match 40
Wellington, January 31: You have hardly seen Virat Kohli opening the innings for India and the Indian skipper came out in the company of KL Rahul to open the innings during the Super Over of the fourth T20I against New Zealand here on WestPac Stadium on Friday (January 31).
Kohli revealed that the initial plan was to pair Rahul and Sanju Samson, who came in for the rested Rohit Sharma and opened in the regular time, but changed in the last minute.
"Initially, Sanju and KL were supposed to go because they can strike the ball well, but I went in because I was more experienced and in a pressure situation it was important for me to handle things. KL and I had a discussion too. The two strikes off the first two balls were important and then I thought I'd get the ball in the gaps and get the job done. I haven't been part of a super-over for too long but happy to have got my team across," said Kohli during the post-match presentation.
Kohli was chuffed with the character the team showed to bounce back in two consecutive games and win them in Super Over.
"There's something new that I've learnt (from these two games) -- you've just got to stay calm, observe what's happening and if the opportunity comes then you capitalize on it. The fans couldn't have asked for a better finish in two consecutive games. We hadn't played super over before and now we have played two in a row. It feels good when you're out of the game and get back in, it really shows the character of the team," said Kohli.
"Everyone looked to be in good head-space. We were playing well in the situation looking at how well the opposition played. We are very proud of how we went about our business today," he added.
Man-of-the-match Shardul Thakur, who finished with figures of 2 for 33 and also bowled the crucial last over in which New Zealand needed just seven runs, said such nail-bitting finishes augurs well for India ahead of this year''s ICC T20 World Cup.
"I''m feeling good, we play for such nail-biting finishes, we couldn''t have asked for anything more in these two games," he said.
"After the last game we learnt that we should never lose hope. The wicket on the first ball of the last over was crucial because it made them nervous. Good contribution from me with the bat, I should have carried on and hopefully I''ll get more next time," he added.
The fifth and final match of the series will be played at Mount Maunganui on Sunday (February 2).
