Virat Kohli pleased that India have found their mojo at T20 World Cup
India captain Virat Kohli feels that his team have regained their mojo after another crushing win over an associate side at the T20 World Cup.
Opener KL Rahul smashed 50 off 19 balls to help India stay alive in the T20 World Cup with an eight-wicket drubbing of Scotland inside seven overs on Friday and birthday boy skipper Kohli declared: “We’ve got our mojo back.”
Kohli won the toss and put the opposition in to bat.
Ravindra Jadeja, and Mohammed Shami took three wickets apiece to help India bowl Scotland out for 85 in 17.4 overs.
Rahul and Rohit Sharma then took the Scotland bowling apart as India raced to their target in 6.3 overs to drastically improve their net run rate.
Rahul whacked six fours and three sixes in his brutal assault as he raised the fifty in just 18 balls before getting out to Scotland spinner Mark Watt.
Brad Wheal trapped Rohit leg before ending the 70-run opening stand, but the damage was done.
Virat Kohli gets a birthday present
Suryakumar Yadav hit the winning six with Kohli, on his 33rd birthday, relishing the huge win at the non-striker’s end.
“A dominating performance. It was something we were striving for again,” said Kohli after a second win on the trot for India.
“I don’t want to say too much about today because we know how we can play,” Kohli added.
“These little things in T20 cricket (toss, conditions) matter and we’re glad to be back in our mojo.
“We spoke about 100-120 max but we restricted them to a total that allowed us to leapfrog everyone else.
“We spoke about finishing in the 8-10 over bracket.
“You don’t want to go in with six-and-a-half or a seven-and-half run mark because then you’re doing too much.
“We gave that bracket and allowed them to get that momentum.
“If you look at our practice games as well, the guys have been batting like that.
“Two overs of cricket like that and the momentum of the tournament could have been completely different.
“We basically broke it down to the fact that we couldn’t get away at all in those two games, two overs could have made the difference.
“I’m just pleased everyone is getting into their own I’m over that phase now. My wife and daughter are here and that celebration is enough, the family being here is a blessing in itself.”
Scotland strangled
Pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah bowled Scotland captain Kyle Coetzer after his seven-ball struggle at the crease.
George Munsey counter-attacked as he smashed Ravichandran Ashwin for three successive boundaries but Shami cut short the opener’s stay on 24.
Jadeja came on to bowl after the first six overs of powerplay and made an instant impact with twin strikes to send back Richie Berrington, bowled without scoring a run, and Matthew Cross trapped lbw for two.
“We just looked to play a good brand of cricket,” said Jadeja.
“If we play like this, nobody can beat us. In T20s, we have to play like this, that is for sure.”
With Scotland’s top four back in the hut with just 29 on the board, but Calum MacLeod and Michael Leask put up some resistence during a 29-run stand.
Jadeja broke through with his left-arm spin as he sent back Leask lbw for 21 and Ashwin got Chris Greaves for one.
MacLeod (16), and Mark Watt also attempted to lend some respectability to the total, but Shami returned to pick up two wickets in one over, and Bumrah wrapped up the innings in 17.4 overs.
“A tough day at the office, we were outclassed in every department,” said Coetzer.
India still need to win their last game against Namibia on Monday and depend on the result of Sunday’s New Zealand-Afghanistan match to have any chance of making the final four.
