Manchester was blue, says Virat Kohli after comprehensive win over Windies
Kohli was awarded the Man of the Match for his exceptional batting on a tough pitch.
For the second game in a row, India’s bowlers proved their worth and steered the team to a comprehensive win after the batsmen failed to deliver as per expectations. Days after defending a modest 224 against Afghanistan, India defended 268 against the power-packed West Indies to all but seal their spot in the semifinals. Virat Kohli and co. continue to remain the only unbeaten side in the competition.
Chasing 269, Windies were blown away by India’s pacers. Mohammed Shami starred with the ball once again, picking up 4 for 16 while Jasprit Bumrah picked up 2 for just 9. The Caribbean bowlers did extremely well with the ball to restrict India to 268 for 7. Virat Kohli scored another fifty but failed to make it count. He was dismissed for 72 before MS Dhoni’s unbeaten 56 helped them post a competitive total. KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya also played handy knocks of 48 and 46 respectively.
In reply, the Windies were all out for just 143 with 94 balls remaining on a slow Manchester track. With that defeat, the two-time champions are also out of the race for a semifinal spot. India never let them break the shackles and were thus able to maintain the pressure throughout.
Delighted with the clinical effort from his players, Virat Kohli was extremely happy and did not wait for long to express it. Moments after the game ended, he took to Twitter to laud the win.
Taking inspiration from the famous line used in the football rivalry between the two football clubs of the city – Manchester United and Manchester City – Kohli posted a collage of some pictures from the match as well as a video showing the Men in Blue fans and tweeted, “Don’t know about football, but Manchester was blue today! Comprehensive team victory.”
‘Nothing is impossible’
With the bowlers doing their task comprehensively, Virat Kohli was all praise for the team’s character and said that the team is now confident of winning from any situation.
“Last two games, things haven’t gone like we thought they would. These haven’t been massive scoring games. But we’ve found ways of winning. Intensity has been the standout thing for me. Mindset really matters. Nothing is impossible. We feel we can win from any situation,” said Kohli after the game. India will next take on hosts England on June 30 at Edgbaston.
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