Virat Kohli: We were completely outplayed by Pakistan

India will next take on New Zealand in Dubai again on Sunday and Kohli felt the break will help his side reflect on the loss and prepare for the remainder of the event.

Published : Oct 24, 2021 23:25 IST , DUBAI

India skipper Virat Kohli reacts during the match against Pakistan.
India skipper Virat Kohli reacts during the match against Pakistan.
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India skipper Virat Kohli reacts during the match against Pakistan.

Virat Kohli praised the opposition while admitting his side was outplayed after India suffered its first defeat against Pakistan at a World Cup, losing by 10 wickets in a Super 12 match in Dubai at the ICC Twenty20 World Cup on Sunday.

"They [Pakistan] definitely outplayed us. There's no doubt about that," Kohli said.

"You don't win by 10 wickets if you don't outplay the opposition. We didn't even get any chances - they were very professional and you definitely have to give them credit.

"We made a decent total out from our situation and we thought we could put them under pressure, but they didn't let us come into the game at any stage. They definitely deserve the credit for finishing off the game very strongly."

After being inserted, India was restricted to 151-7 before Pakistan chased down the target ith 2.5 overs left. Shaheen Shah Afridi was man of the match for his figures of 3 for 30.

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Kohli cited dew as one of the reasons for lack of control from Indian bowlers.

"I wouldn't say that it [the conditions] became very difficult but if the pitch becomes a little better to bat on, you get off to a start, you start feeling more confident about the chase and that's what happened," Kohli said.

"The more dew came in towards the second half of the Pakistan innings, and they were able to rotate strike. "We weren't even able to get dot balls in because the pitch was obviously providing a bit more pace for the batsmen to work with. The slower balls were not holding up as much.

"Their brilliant bowling in the first six overs didn't allow us to get those extra runs. We know how exactly the game went and where it went wrong and we have absolute clarity of that. That's a good thing to know where you went wrong."

India will next take on New Zealand in Dubai again on Sunday. Kohli felt the week-long break will help his side reflect on the loss and prepare for the remainder of the event.

"I think it [the break] works really well for us from all points of view, knowing that we've played a full-fledged season already," Kohli said.

"We've played the IPL, which is very high-octane by itself in testing conditions in the UAE and then we come into the World Cup. So, for us, these big breaks are definitely something that will help us as a team to be in the prime physical condition that we need to play this high-intensity tournament."

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