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Hard fought win over Afghanistan was important for us: says Virat Kohli after World Cup 2019 win over Afghans
Virat Kohli rates the win over Afghanistan in the ICC Cricket World Cup as a special one.
Indian skipper Virat Kohli stated that the hard fought win over Afghanistan on Saturday in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 was much-needed as it helped the Men in Blue show their character and win the game from the jaws of defeat. Mohammed Shami scalped a hattrick in the last over, which helped the Indians survive a mighty scare as they beat Afghanistan by 11 runs to continue their unbeaten run in the event. Shami defended 16 runs in the last over and also got the wickets of Mohammed Nabi, Aftab Alam and Mujeeb Ur Rahman off successive balls.
After India had managed only 224 on the board, Afghanistan were all out for 213.
"This game was way more important for us, because things didn't go as planned. That's when you need to show character and bounce back," Kohli said at the post-match presentation ceremony.
Included over injured Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Shami became only the second Indian to pick a hattrick in a World Cup after Chetan Sharma achieved the feat in 1987.
Kohli was effusive in his praise for Shami as well. "Everyone's waiting for an opportunity. Shami was really good today. He was making the ball move more than anybody. We knew these guys were hungry," he said.
He also added that the win was a special one as the Indians had to face a stiff challenge.
"This is right up there (as a win). You win the toss, and you decide to bat and then you see the wicket slow down. You think 260 or 270 would be a good total," he said.
"At the halfway stage, we had our doubts in our minds, but we also had self-belief in the change rooms. As soon as I went in, I understood the pace of the pitch. Cross-batted shots aren't on, and a lot of horizontal bat shots cost us on this pitch."
India next meet West Indies on June 27, 2019.
