KL Rahul
Jos Buttler's unbeaten 83 eclipsed Virat Kohli's batting masterclass as England went on to take a 2-1 lead by clinching the third T20I against India by eight wickets on Tuesday. Chasing 157 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, Buttler stitched a 77-run stand with Jonny Bairstow as England cruised to the victory with 10 deliveries to spare.
Earlier, on a red-soil wicket, Kohli played a blinder as India finished on 156/6 in the first innings. Kohli's magnificence helped India recover from a difficult situation as wickets around him kept falling. The Indian skipper hammered 77 off 46 deliveries which included 8 fours and 4 sixes.
You don't want to play knocks that don't help the team in any way, said Kohli following India's defeat as he heaped praise on England bowlers for sticking with the right line and length.
"If that helps the team, then sure. You don't want to play knocks which don't help the team in any way. It was a bit difficult to bat against the new ball. Their bowlers were hitting good areas. We got one little partnership, it was important for me to bat deep. The case was to get set and try to get a decent total," he said.
Kohli also backed KL Rahul amid his lean patch, saying that the opener will continue to be one of India's main players at the top along with Rohit Sharma. After scoring a fifty and a 30-plus score in Australia, Rahul has managed scores of 0, 1, 0, 0 in his next four T20Is.
"I was going through a lean patch two days back. He (KL Rahul) has been a champion player. He will continue to be one of our main players along with Rohit at the top of the order. It's a matter of five-six balls in this format," said the Indian captain.
Kohli also stressed on the need for another all-rounder in the side and said that the team management wants to give Hardik Pandya 'a bit more responsibility' with the ball.
"It is [toss is a factor], but if you lose the toss, embrace what has been asked from you. The England bowlers attacked right lines and lengths and with their pace, they became more potent. We lacked intensity in the second half. We want to give Hardik a bit more responsibility with the ball; we know what he can do with the bat," he concluded.
