Adelaide: Another Virat Kohli masterclass has propelled India to a six-wicket win against Australia to square their limited overs series at 1-1.
Chasing 299 runs to win on Tuesday at Adelaide Oval, Kohli struck a sublime 104 from 112 deliveries as India reached its target with four balls remaining.
Kohli’s 39th ODI ton was followed by a typically ice-cool finish from MS Dhoni (55 not out from 54 balls) as India set up a series decider in Melbourne on Friday.
Virat Kohli, winning captain and player of the Match, said, “Very pleased. We wanted to try and restrict them in the end. To get them (Maxi and Marsh) in two balls was outstanding for us. Those breakthroughs were crucial. That meant we were not chasing 330. Bhuvi was outstanding with the ball, he came back and brought us in the game towards the end. Vijay Shankar is in, so that’s gives us couple of options to play around with. Backing 5 bowlers and getting job done is always a pleasing thing for a captain.”
“The way Australians were batting, we really pulled things back. You look for little moments to pump you up, I try and get into that zone. Every time we have a target on board, I try to stay as aware as possible in recognising when to strike. When it comes off it looks nice. I try and keep things simple. You have to take calculated risks. Hopefully, I can keep helping the team.”
“It was a really tough day, you saw MS in the end, he was tired as well. You need a good day’s rest. There is no doubt that he shouldn’t be a part of this team. Tonight was an MS classic. Only he knows what’s going through his mind. He calculates the game so well. He backs himself to hit those big hits. Hats off to him and Dinesh as well. He came in and showed the right kind of intent. MS was as composed as ever. We try and help each other (MS and himself). Tonight was special for us.”
Aaron Finch, losing skipper, said, ” I thought we hung in there really well. They batted really well and you have to keep taking wickets and at the end it was always tough. When Dhoni is there we knew we had to get both of them out (Kohli and Dhoni). Credit to India, they played well. We played very well as well. Overall, it’s a good game of cricket. Opening the batting and not getting enough runs, its one of those things I reckon. Always tough when you are not getting runs personally. Obviously bit easy when you are scoring runs and leading by example. Gotta be consistent with your game.
“It’s going to be great series as if it isn’t already and hoping to make it 2-1 at the MCG.”