LONDON: India captain Virat Kohli said his team were not invincible after the defending champions allowed Sri Lanka to chase down a target of 322 to win a pulsating Champions Trophy match at The Oval here on Thursday.
“I think Sri Lanka played really well,” Kohli told a news conference following his team’s seven-wicket loss. “The other teams are also champions and that needs to be kept in mind. We are not invincible.”
India had beaten Sri Lanka in 14 of their last 17 ODIs, including the last five.
India’s bowlers struggled to contain the Sri Lankan batsmen, however, as Danushka Gunathilaka and Kusal Mendis shared a second-wicket partnership of 159 before captain Angelo Mathews steered his team home with a composed unbeaten 52.
“We all felt we had enough on the board at the halfway mark,” Kohli said.
“We trusted our bowlers, but they [Sri Lanka] were pretty good on the day. Kept their momentum going and executed their shots really well. Our bowlers bowled decently, but they batted really well.”
Published in Dawn, June 10th, 2017
