Asked how he and Jadhav tackled what looked like a hopeless situation with four top batsmen back in the hut for a mere 63 runs in the 12th over, Kohli said they decided to counter-punch their way.
“We spoke about how to tackle that situation and decided it the best way was counterattack. No wickets had been lost to good balls, we committed errors and the wicket was better to bat in the second innings. The ball travels very very far. We could hit sixes to put pressure on the opposition. It’s one of the best partnerships I have been part of. We have chased 350 before but not from 63/4,” said the captain.
“We believed in the Test series we could win from any situation. This was the same,” he added.
Kohli admitted that some of the shots he himself had played during matches made him wonder afterwards how he had done them.
“I can recall many moments when I felt I did not do this, don’t know how it got executed. If you are focused on the goal, the target you want to achieve, and you are looking at the team’s interest all the time, you end up playing shots you don’t believe you are capable of achieving. Once you got the momentum you can pull off shots which you won’t believe. It’s just one of those things with all international batsmen.”
He said the amazing victory, only the third time India had chased down 350-plus successfully, will have a huge bearing in the rest of the series and for the upcoming Champions Trophy in England where his team will be the defending champions.
