World Cup 2019: You have to accept that other side played better, says Virat Kohli

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Edgbaston: After suffering their first defeat in the ongoing ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup on Sunday, Indian skipper Virat Kohli said that no one likes to lose matches, but sometimes credit needs to be given to the opponent. His remarks come as India were defeated by England at Edgbaston on Sunday by 31 runs.

“Look every team has lost a game here and there. No one likes to lose but you have to accept the other side played better. The mood is absolutely same in the change room, we understand as professional cricketers it’s a setback,” Kohli said during the post-match ceremony.

Kohli said that the toss played a vital part in the match and he described having a boundary of just 59 metres on a flat track as quite bizarre.

“The toss was vital, especially looking at the boundary that was quite short. I think it was 59 metres which coincidentally is the minimum amount required in an international match. Quite bizarre on a flat pitch. It’s crazy that things fall in place like that randomly. But we should have been clinical because the wicket was flat,” Kohli said.

The number one ranked batsman in the ICC ODI batsmen rankings also said that the team could have accelerated in their run-chase. MS Dhoni and Kedar Jadhav are facing criticism for their baffling approach in the final overs. Both the batsmen did not look for boundaries and they looked content with singles.

“We could have accelerated and got closer to their total. When Pant and Pandya were in there we thought we had a decent chance. But England were better on the day. Kohli said.

The Indian skipper said that the bowlers did a good job in pulling back England as the hosts had gotten off to a good start. “I thought they were going towards 360 at one stage and we did quite well to pull them back. We could have restricted them more but Ben played a good inning. We were quite happy at the break,” Kohli said.

In the match between India and England, the latter won the toss and opted to bat first. England went on to post a challenging score of 337 runs for the loss of seven wickets in the allotted fifty overs. Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow gave England solid base at the top as they stitched together a partnership of 160 runs. Roy was dismissed for 66 whereas Bairstow went on to score a century.

Bairstow was sent back to the pavilion after playing a knock of 111 runs, but Ben Stokes played a 79-run innings to propel England to more than 330 runs. Chasing 338, India’s opening batsman Rohit Sharma registered his third century in the ongoing tournament. Indian skipper Virat Kohli also registered a half-century, becoming the first skipper to register five consecutive fifties in the World Cup.

But India fell short by 31 runs in the end. This win has enabled England to reach the fourth spot in the tournament standings. India will next face Bangladesh on July 2.