Melbourne: Former India skipper Virat Kohli has said the team had come to Australia for the ICC T20 World Cup to achieve their dream but fell short, but promised the side will strive to “get better from here on”.
Kohli again played a key role in helping India to a competitive 168 for six in 20 overs, scoring a 40-ball half-century, but Alex Hales and England skipper Jos Buttler’s unbeaten blitz of 170 runs made the target look miniscule as they breezed into the final to set up blockbuster showdown with Babar Azam’s Pakistan with four overs to spare and all 10 wickets in hand.
Kohli was the stand-out batter in the side and continues to top the scoring charts with 296 runs from six innings and a batting average of 98.66, but his innings wasn’t enough on a perfect Thursday afternoon at the Adelaide Oval as India bowed out of the global tournament, with the bowlers letting the side down.
Kohli took to twitter to express his disappointment at missing the trophy one more time, saying “We leave Australian shores short of achieving our dream and with disappointment in our hearts but we can take back a lot of memorable moments as a group and aim to get better from here on,” said the charismatic India batter.
India’s next major ICC assignment will be the ODI World Cup at home next year and they would be aiming to recreate the magic of 2011 to win back the trophy after a series of debacles in ICC tournaments.
Kohli also thanked the fans for showing faith in the side and turning out in huge numbers to watch the match.
“Thank you to all our fans who turned up in huge numbers throughout to support us in the stadiums. Always feel proud to wear this jersey and represent our country,” Kohli wrote in another tweet.
Kohli was in smashing form during India’s thrilling last-ball win against Pakistan in the Super 12 opener on October 23, clobbering an unbeaten 82.
India’s disappointments in ICC events have continued to pile up with the team doing hardly anything of note since the 2011 ODI World Cup title triumph under Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
In the 2014 T20 World Cup final, Virat Kohli was the standout batter against Sri Lanka, but the rest didn’t turn up to the occasion at Dhaka. In the 2015 ODI World Cup semifinal at SCG, their batting crumbled under scoreboard pressure after Steve Smith raised a magnificent century.
In the 2016 T20 World Cup at home, Kohli again stood up to propel India to a high total. But West Indies, especially Lendl Simmons, successfully chased down the target with ease in semifinals. In the 2017 Champions Trophy final, all was smooth sailing for India till Fakhar Zaman and Mohammad Amir turned it around for Pakistan.
In the 2019 ODI World Cup semifinal, Rohit Sharma was in form of his life till Matt Henry and Co dismantled the Indian batting order.
