India captain Virat Kohli was overjoyed with his team’s win on Friday after they beat New Zealand in the Super Over for the second time in a row to take a 4-0 lead in the five-match series in Wellington.
The Black Caps once again failed to overhaul the target of 166 and ended up with the same score that India had made batting first. Stand-in skipper Tim Southee then failed to defend 14 runs in the Super Over as KL Rahul and Kohli knocked off the required runs with ease.
Kohli stated after the match that not giving up till the very end has been the key to India’s success in the last two games.
“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.
“We couldn’t have asked for more exciting games, we’ve never played Super Overs before and now we’ve won two,” Kohli said at the post-match presentation ceremony.
The Indian skipper also revealed that he initially thought of sending Sanju Samson with Rahul to bat in the Super Over but then changed his mind on Rahul’s advice. Kohli scored 6 runs out of the 16 in the Super Over while Rahul hit 10 including a six and a four.
“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. His two strikes were crucial and then you knock the ball into the gap and takes your team over the line,” Kohli said.
India had managed to post 165 for 5 on the board thanks to Manish Pandey’s unbeaten half-century and then defended the total with Shardul Thakur grabbing two wickets while Jasprit Bumrah and Yuzvendra Chahal managed one each.
“Sanju was fearless at the top of the order, we didn’t quite read the pitch that well. He tried to take the momentum away, he should back himself. Saini was impressive with his pace again. We were very proud with the way we went about it,” Kohli said.
The two teams will now travel to Mount Maunganui to play the final game on February 2.
