Skipper Virat Kohli, on Sunday, slammed India’s poor fielding effort for their loss against West Indies in the second T20I in Thiruvananthapuram. The Windies put up a spirited batting display to usurp India’s total of 170 in God’s own country, but the game might have gotten a lot more closer had India’s fielders held onto a few chances.
Washington Sundar, who had dropped two catches at Hyderabad too, let go off Lendl.Simmons in Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s over while Rishabh Pant dropped Evin Lewis two balls later in the same over. At Hyderabad too, India had dropped five chances although a supreme batting display from Kohli saved them the blushes on that occasion.
“We had to get those 15 extra runs to defend, but look, if you field like that, then no total is big enough,” Kohli told Star Sports after the match. “Last two games we have been below par in the field. We were good with the ball, in the first four overs we created enough pressure… and then you drop two chances in a T20 game in one over, that’s going to cost you. If they lose two wickets in one over, the pressure’s on them. I think it’s a game of margins and we need to understand where we went wrong. It’s pretty evident. It’s there for everyone to see and for us to improve on. I think fielding is something we need to be more brave about, and not worry about dropping catches.”
Kohli,.on his part, took a sensational diving catch at long-on to send back Shimron Hetmyer, sprinting to his right.
“It was one of those catches that just stuck in the hand. It came out of the lights a little bit, but I just committed to the ball and put both hands out, and luckily it came into my hand,” Kohli said. “Last game I put one hand out and I dropped it. It’s about putting in the effort when you can and sometimes they stick and sometimes they don’t.”
Kohli also explained on India’s successful move of sending Shivam Dube at no. 3.
“Well we knew the pitch is going to offer something to the spinners. They were going to start with a spinner, so we thought why not Shivam goes up and tries and attacks the spinner,” Kohli explained. “Because the batting line-up that we have will probably go unused if two guys at the top fire. That was the plan behind it, worked pretty well.
“We were really good for the first 16 overs – we were 140 for 4 [144 for 4]. From there on I think you expect to get about 40-45 runs in the last four overs and not 30. I think we lacked there a little bit, so we have to focus on that more. I think Shivam’s knock is what propelled us towards 170 because the ball wasn’t coming on to the bat so well in the first half. To be honest, West Indies assessed the pitch really nicely and they bowled enough cutters and changes of pace to not let us get any momentum.”