NZ vs IND T20I series | It shows character of the team, says Kohli

‘Two Super Over finishes have taught me to stay calm and bounce back when chance comes’

India captain Virat Kohli, on Friday, said he has learnt an important lesson in the back-to-back Super Over finishes against New Zealand.

“There’s something new I’ve learnt in the last couple of games: when the opposition is playing well, you stay calm till the end and try to come back,” Kohli said.

The India skipper said, having come out victorious in two consecutive Super Overs for the first time proves the character of the team.

Two in two

“We couldn’t have asked for more exciting games, we’ve never played Super Overs before and now we’ve won two. It shows the character of the team,” Kohli said.

Although Sanju Samson didn’t make any significant contribution in the match, Kohli said he initially thought of sending the Kerala batsman in the Super Over along side K.L. Rahul but eventually changed his mind. “Initially we thought of opening with Samson and KL in the Super Over, but then KL told me I should bat because of the experience and the options I’ll bring,” he said.

“His (Rahul’s) two strikes were crucial and then you knock the ball into the gap and take your team over the line. Sanju was fearless at the top of the order. He tried to take the momentum away, he should back himself.”

Praise for Saini

Kohli also lavished praise on young pacer Navdeep Saini, who went wicketless on Friday.

“Saini was impressive with his pace again. We were very proud with the way we went about it,” he said.

Man-of-the-match Shardul Thakur, who finished with figures of two for 33 and also bowled the crucial last over in which New Zealand needed just seven runs, said, “I’m feeling good, we play for such nail-biting finishes, we couldn’t have asked for anything more in these two games,” he said.