India vs England: We fail as a team, we win as a team, Virat Kohli after Headingley capitulation

Tags: India tour of England, 2021, India, England, England vs India, 3rd Test at Leeds, Aug 25-29, 2021, Virat Kohli

Published on: Aug 28, 2021

Scorecard | Commentary | Graphs

Indian captain Virat Kohli said that he would not pick on any particular issue as the reason for defeat after India went down to England by an innings and 76 runs on Day 4 of the Headingley Test. Instead, Kohli commented that India ‘fail as a team and win as a team’. He conceded that they failed in the third Test.

India resumed their day on 215 for 2, but all hopes of a fightback were killed as they kept losing wicket after wicket. Cheteshwar Pujara perished without adding to his overnight score, Kohli fell after crossing his fifty and the rest offered no resistance. Even before the first session on Day 4 could end, the match was over.

Speaking at the post-match conference, Kohli put the defeat down to failure of the entire team. He said, "I know what happens when we lose one game. I have maintained in the past that we are not going to fall into a space where we start picking on issues. We fail as a team, we win as a team.”

“I do not believe in playing that balance (extra batsman), have never believed in that balance because either you can try to save a defeat or you can try to win the game. We have drawn games in the past with a similar number of batters so if your top six or seven do not do the job, extra batsman gives no guarantee,” he added.

India’s middle-order has failed to deliver on a consistent basis for an elongated period of time. Asked whether it was a matter of concern, Kohli replied, "We analyse ourselves as a team in terms of what situations we are putting ourselves in, not with numbers. That happens on the outside, whether we are helping the team to build partnerships or putting the team in a good position is our only focus and there is no connection between the focus on the outside and the focus within the group.”

Kohli admitted that India will rotate their pacers and it is not feasible to play everyone together in every Test. He explained, “That's bound to open, it is a logical and sensible thing to do. You do not want to push individuals where they break, that conversation is important. So, we will have that conversation with the individuals and see where they are physically and who needs to have a game off. You cannot expect guys to play four Tests in a row."

India and England will now meet in fourth Test at The Oval from September 2.

--By A Cricket Correspondent

Related News