Leeds: India will have to find the right balance in the ODI side and get their ‘act together’ before the World Cup next year, said skipper Virat Kohli after his team went down 1-2 to England in the three game ODI series.
Riding on Joe Root’s (100 n o, 120b, 10×4) and captain Eoin Morgan’s (88, 108b. 9×4, 1×6), hosts England beat India by a convincing eight-wicket margin to pocket the series and remain on top of the ODI rankings. The two put on 186 unbeaten runs for the third wicket to take the side home.
“These kinds of games will tell us what we need to improve upon for the World Cup. We need to have a good balance in the side, and we need to get our act right before the World Cup. We can’t rely on one skill, and we need to do well in all departments,” said Kohli after the game, Tuesday.
“We were never up to the mark as far as runs were concerned. We had 25-30 runs too little. England were clinical in all departments and thoroughly deserved to win. We need to be at our best against a team like England,” asserted Kohli.
He also defended the three changes he made for the crucial game, bringing in Dinesh Karthik, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Shardul Thakur in place of KL Rahul, Umesh Yadav and Siddarth Kaul.
“We thought Dinesh did well, but he couldn’t convert his start. Shardul was taken to provide exposure, and Bhuvi needed to make a comeback. When the changes don’t come off, they look unnecessary so it has to be taken in stride,” Kohli shot back.
Kohli on top
Dubai: India captain Virat Kohli strengthened his position at the top of ICC ODI rankings for batsmen by touching a career-high 911 points, while Kuldeep Yadav broke into the top 10 of the bowlers’ chart at sixth, Wednesday. Kohli ended the three-match series against England with scores 75, 45 and 71. Meanwhile Kuldeep is the fifth spinner to have found a place in the top 10. In team rankings, No.1 ranked England have moved to 127 points after gaining one point, while India have dropped one point to be on 121.