POBNEWS24, Dhaka Nov 1, 2021 :India’s name was at the top of the list of favorites in this World Cup. Kohli, Rohit, Bumra, Pandya, Rahul, Shami, Pant — if you count the personal talents, the stars are scattered in this team.
But at the end of the day, cricket is a team game. It is foolish to expect to do well in a global tournament if you cannot do well as a team. This lack of team performance eventually became a thorn in Kohli’s side.
Unless something unbelievable happens, India will leave the semi-finals, that’s for sure. India now have to hope that Scotland or Namibia do not make it to the semi-finals.
Meanwhile, if Pakistan and New Zealand win the remaining matches in their hands, then India has no chance to go to the semis.
Kohli understands everything. “I don’t think we were brave with the bat or the ball,” he said. We didn’t have much capital to fight, but when we got on the field later, we weren’t brave. When you play for the Indian cricket team, you will have a lot of expectations. Not only from the fans, but also from the players.
“The pressure that India has not been able to withstand as a team has come to the fore,” said Kohli. We have endured that pressure year after year. He who plays for India has to bear this pressure. We have to deal with this pressure as a team, which we have not been able to do in the last two matches. It’s not like you’re going to start playing differently when you’re under pressure. ‘
However, Kohli is not willing to give up now. On paper, India will play their last three matches against the weakest three teams in the group. Rashid and Nabi will play Afghanistan on Wednesday and Scotland and Namibia on November 5 and 6 respectively. Kohli has to win these three matches, hopefully the Afghans will lose to New Zealand, or Pakistan will be cut off by someone from Namibia-Scotland.
All in all, Kohli is still positive about the semi-finals. “I think we still have a chance, we still have a lot of cricket to play.”
