Virat Kohli reasons out India's loss in ODIs, blames 'fielding and bowling'

After experiencing a clean sweep, Indian skipper Virat Kohli on Tuesday asserted the average bowling and fielding to be the reason for their loss. Virat Kohli-led India lost the third and final ODI against New Zealand by five wickets. The skipper also rued India’s failures to grab the opportunities.

Speaking at the post-match presentation, Virat Kohli gave credit to New Zealand for their intensity and further stressed on India's poor show on the field in the second innings. 

“The games were not as bad as the scoreline suggests. But the way we fielded and bowled, the composure wasn’t enough to win games. Didn’t deserve to be on the winning side this series. Haven’t played so badly, but we didn’t grab opportunities,” said Virat Kohli.

“They played with lot more intensity than we did. They deservedly won 3-0. We are excited about the Test series. We now have a balanced team and need to step out on the park with the right kind of mindset,” he added.

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Kohli on the upcoming test against Kiwis 

Exuding confidence over the upcoming test series against New Zealand, Virat Kohli highlighted the right balance in the team and spoke about the need to play with the right mindset. The first Test is slated to be played on February 21 in Wellington.

"I think because of the Test Championship, every match has that more important. We have a really balanced Test team and we feel we can win the series here, but we need to step on to the park with the right kind of mindset," Kohli said.

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KL Rahul Achieves Another Feat With Maiden Ton Against Kiwis

As KL Rahul's exceptional spell continued against New Zealand, the star cricketer etched his name in history books as he became the first India batsman to score a century against Kiwis in New Zealand while coming to bat at number five or below. His century helped India post a comprehensive total of 296/7 in 50 overs in the final ODI.

Coming out to bat at a crucial time, Rahul notched up a fine century off 104 balls against New Zeland at Bay Oval. KL Rahul, along with Shreyas Iyer, helped in fuelling India's total by playing calculative shots and keeping the scoreboard ticking simultaneously.     

A century at number five is such a rare sight for the Men in Blue as the last batsman to hit a ton at this spot was former India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who did it against England in 2017. Rahul has been in sublime form on the current tour as he scored three half-centuries before bringing up his maiden century.

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