India captain Virat Kohli supported fighter KL Rahul on Friday, calling him “a champion player” who remains the best candidate alongside Rohit Sharma for the opening spot in the shorter format.
Rahul has been in dismal shape with scores of 1, 0, 0 in his last three Q20s.
Kohli, who was sacked for nothing in Test 4 and the first T20I against England before turning it around with undefeated scores of 73 and 77, said it is a matter of few balls.
“I was going through a lean period two days ago. He (KL Rahul) has been a champion player. He will continue to be one of our main players along with Rohit at the top of the order, ”Kohli said in the post-match presentation.
“It is a question of five-six balls in this format.”
Kohli, who got India out of trouble with a 46-ball hit, said the new ball was difficult to face, especially with pacemaker Mark Wood hitting more than 90 miles per hour.
“You don’t want to play shots that don’t help the team in any way. It was a bit difficult to hit the new ball. His bowlers were hitting good areas, ”he said.
“England’s bowlers attacked straight lines and lengths and with their rhythm they became more powerful.
“We got a little partnership, it was important to me to hit deep. The point was to prepare and try to get a decent total. We lacked intensity in the second half ”.
Speaking of Pandya, Kohli said: “We want to give Hardik a little more responsibility with the ball; we know what he can do with the bat. “
England captain Eoin Morgan praised his bowlers for their “exceptional” display.
“When you look at the conditions tonight, Adil started well and when the pacemakers started, the carry we saw was a surprise to us. I thought the first half of our bowling was exceptional, ”he said.
“The wicket stayed the same, throughout all the games, and if you lose the first wickets at the top, a question arises. It’s just a T20 cricket dynamic. “
Jos Buttler pitched an unbeaten 83 to lead England past the 157 goal in 18.2 overs.
“Jos is a world class player and has averaged over 50 and scored 150 at the top. There is very little you have to say to Jos. He’s been in incredible shape and he’s a great leader within our group, ”Morgan said.
The England captain received his 100th match Tuesday from Buttler and Morgan said he was touched by his words.
“It almost made me cry [getting the 100th cap from Buttler]. He is a great friend of mine and our families are close. His words made my heart happy and I am very grateful for that. “
Buttler, Awarded Man of the Game for his entry whirlwinds, said: “It was nice spending time in the middle and I always like not coming out at the end.”
“It just felt like a good time to attack [at the top]. It was nice to risk my arm a bit. The first six got me going and gave me confidence. “
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