Virat Kohli delighted to win against ‘top quality’ England

Saturday, 4 February 2017 00:00 -     - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

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Reuters: Indian skipper Virat Kohli on Wednesday (February 01) said he was glad to win against a top quality side like England, despite losing the first match of the series.

India routed the visitors by 75 runs to clinch the Twenty20 International series 2-1.

Indian spinner Yuzvendra Chahal spun a web around England’s batsmen to pick up six wickets and fire the hosts to a series-clinching 75-run victory in the third and final Twenty20 international on Wednesday.

Chasing a mammoth target of 203 for victory, the touring side collapsed spectacularly to lose their last eight wickets in 19 deliveries for the addition of eight runs as they were dismissed for 127 in the 17th over.

Leg-spinner Chahal’s figures of 6-25 were the third best in the shortest format of the game.

Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli said the youngsters, who did not have much experience, performed good which gave boost to the team.

“Winning all three of them (series) feels really really good right now because we are up against the top quality side. We understand that. And to come on top after the end of all three series is great feeling altogether,” said Kohli.

Earlier, Suresh Raina and former captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni scored brisk fifties to power India to 202-6 after England skipper Eoin Morgan won the toss.

India lost batting mainstay Virat Kohli to a run out early but Raina, who made 63 off 45 balls, and KL Rahul (22) gave the team a good platform with a 61-run stand for the second wicket.

Rahul was bowled for 22 by Ben Stokes but replays later showed the umpire had missed the paceman overstepping the bowling crease.

Dhoni then struck his first T20 international half-century on his way to a 36-ball 56 and with another experienced batsman in Yuvraj Singh flayed the English attack to take India past the 200-run mark.

Left-handed Yuvraj, who hit England fast bowler Stuart Broad for six consecutive sixes in the World Twenty20 in 2007, smashed three sixes and a four in four balls off paceman Chris Jordan in his knock of 27 from 10 balls.

England looked well set to push India close and were 114-2 in 12 overs after Morgan smashed part-timer Suresh Raina for three sixes in an over costing 22 runs.

But they lost their way against leg-spinners Chahal and Amit Mishra and after Joe Root was dismissed for 42 and Morgan for 40 the remaining batsmen all fell cheaply.

England ODI captain Eoin Morgan said losing two in-form players in one over allowed India to build little bit of pressure

“It was very disappointing. May be 60% of the game we were competitive and right at amongst it but fell away towards the end. We committed a cardinal sin of losing two-in (form) players in one over that allowed India to build little bit of pressure,” said Morgan.

India also beat England in the test and one-day series.


 

India beat England by 10 wickets in Blind World T20 Championship match

Reuters: India defeated England by 10 wickets in a Blind World T20 Championship match in central Indore city on Thursday (February 02).

Opting to bat first, England captain Luke Sugg managed 158 runs before getting bundled out in the 20th over. In reply, the Indian openers went great guns, chasing it down with ease inside 11 overs.

With this win, India are now placed at the third position in the league, standing behind Pakistan and Australia, who have won all their games so far.

In reply, the Indian openers Sukhram Majhi and Ganesh Mundakar went hammer and tongs right from the word go and gunned down the total in 11 overs.

Mundakar was adjudged the Man of the Match for his unbeaten 78.

Teams of Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, England, Australia, West Indies, South Africa and New Zealand, apart from the hosts are participating in the tournament.

In a first, the World Cup matches will be held across cities. The match will also be held in Bengaluru, Mumbai and Hyderabad, among others.

The two-week long tournament will conclude at Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy stadium on February 12.

 

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