Virat Kohli says “We never take any opposition lightly” in T20 World Cup 2021. Captain Kohli rejected suggestions that the team went in T20 World Cup 2021 clash. Against Pakistan on an overconfident note. Kohli stated that the players gave it their all. But the opposition was just too good on the day. In the end, Pakistan smashed India by ten wickets in Dubai. In addition, they have a losing trend in World Cup matches against their arch-rivals. Pakistan reached its target in 17.5 overs, with unbeaten half-centuries from Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam. Kohli refuted suggestions that India was taking things casually after the match in a post-match press conference.
“You don’t go out there to take anything lightly, especially a team like Pakistan who, on their day, can beat anyone in the world. This is a game that has to be respected and we are a team that definitely does that. We do not think that winning one game is the end of the world and no other team should think that. This is a very big game,” Virat Kohli said.
Virat Kohli
“Cricket is beyond and above anyone else and any individual. We definitely respect the game. We never take any opposition lightly, nor do we differentiate between oppositions. That’s how we play our cricket. On the day, if we haven’t played good (cricket), we accept it, and we give credit to the opposition as well,” Kohli said.
As a result, India was crushed by Pakistan’s openers. Shaheen Afridi set the tone for the game by easily removing Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul. Kohli said that Afridi’s excellent start lost India in the game. At least 20-25 runs are required.
“Lastly, he did bowl pretty well. He hit the right areas to pick up wickets. In T20 cricket, you need good execution to take wickets with the new ball and he certainly did that. Credit to him, he put out batsmen under pressure immediately with the new ball. He ran in with intensity and bowled inconsistent areas. As batsmen, we were forced to be a bit watchful. That spell, kind of, put up on the back foot immediately. From there on, to get those extra 20-25 runs, seemed pretty difficult after we lost three wickets early,” Kohli said.
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