New Delhi:
Virat Kohli had not scored an ODI century ever since the Ranchi ODI against Australia in March 2019. The Indian cricket team skipper had five consecutive knocks of over 50 in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 but failed to convert any of those knocks into triple figures. However, Kohli broke the rut in grand style by hammering his 42nd century and also his eighth against the West Indies as India registered a 59-run win via DLS method in the second ODI at the Queens Park Oval in Trinidad. Speaking after the end of the match, Kohli said he had to step up and take responsibility after Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma had failed.
"We knew that anything over 270 would be challenging. It feels good to get a hundred when the team wanted me to get one. Shikhar and Rohit didn't get a big one. One of the top three has always got the big one. A senior man had to step up and today was my opportunity to step up. It was important to string in a lot of dot balls," Kohli said.
Kohli shared a partnership in excess of 100 with Shreyas Iyer and complimented the Mumbai batsman for taking the pressure of him. "He (Iyer) is a very confident guy and has the right attitude. Really got the tempo going and took the pressure off me. After I got out, he got the extra runs as well," Kohli remarked.
During the West Indies innings, the rain delay reduced the match to 46 overs and they were set a target of 270. Kohli said Kuldeep's wickets was the key as the rain had made batting easier.
"The number of left-handers work in favour of Kuldeep and that's why we went in with him rather than Chahal. He is more lethal against the left-handers because of his variations and the lines that he bowls to them. Kedar (Jadhav) was precise as well. With the number of left-handers, you want to go with a chinaman bowler rather than a leggie. With Jadeja playing, it helps our balance. The batting became a little easy thanks to the rain when (Shimron) Hetymer and (Nicholas) Pooran were batting together. It was tough gripping the ball when it went into the outfield. It was about staying in there and hoping one wicket will put pressure on them and luckily we got the wickets," Kohli said.
The third and final match of the series will be played on August 14 at the Queens Park Oval.
