Despite the loss in the first Test, Virat Kohli believes that his side will come out stronger in the second Test against New Zealand
Virat Kohli walks from the field with his team after losing the match to New Zealand during day four of the first Test cricket match between New Zealand and India at the Basin Reserve in Wellington on February 24, 2020. Photo: AFP
Virat Kohli was disappointed after the thrashing in the first Test against New Zealand at Wellington but cautioned against reading too much into the loss. "We did not play good enough cricket and that’s why we lost," Kohli told reporters while interacting with the media at the post-match conference. He added that a one-off defeat will not make Team India a bad team overnight, he was confident that the team will up the ante and put up an improved performance in the second Test.
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"There is no doubt that we are going to try to win the next Test, playing positive cricket. We are not bothered about another loss but we are not going to take a backward step for sure" said Kohli.
Virat Kohli takes pride in his performance and expects every team member to show similar fight and character while competing on the cricket field. He believes that good team work is the key to success and in his tenure as the captain of India; Kohli has downplayed individual achievements especially when the team was on the losing end.
"If the team wins, even a 40 is good but if the team loses even a 100 is irrelevant for me, and I am going to stay in that mindset. I would like to contribute in a win in the next Test," Virat Kohli said.
India's captain Virat Kohli walks from the field after being caught during day three of the first Test cricket match between New Zealand and India at the Basin Reserve in Wellington on February 23, 2020.Photo: AFP
Despite his low scores in the match, Kohli stated that he was batting well. "Sometimes scores don’t reflect the way you are batting, and that’s what can happen if you don’t execute what you want to well. Look when you play so much cricket and play for so long, you will obviously have 3-4 innings which don't go your way. If you try and make too much out of it, it will keep piling on. I think it's about staying in a good space," Kohli said.
Virat Kohli scored two in the first innings and 19 in the second innings at the Basin Reserve Test. India and New Zealand will square off on February 29 in the second Test at Christchurch