India vs West Indies: Drop catches are going to cost us games, frets Virat Kohli
India dropped two simple catches against West Indies in the second T20I of the three-match series in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday, and that did not impress the Indian skipper Virat Kohli.
India were handed an eight-wicket drubbing in the second T20 game by Kieron Pollard and co. at the Greenfield Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday. That defeat definitely did not please the Indian captain. It is understandable how it feels after performing so well in the first game of the series and then facing a big defeat in the hands of the visitors, who were on seven-match losing streak in T20 internationals.
India dropped a few catches in the first game as well which cost them a lot of runs and West Indies ended up with a 200 – plus total in the first game. With the ICC T20 World Cup less than a year away, a team like India do not have any room for complacency and the skipper is pretty much aware of that fact.
"No, not (happy with the fielding) at all. In the last two games we've been below-par on the field," Kohli said during the post-match presentation, reported by Cricbuzz.
The Indian fielders gave Lendl Simmons and Evin Lewis a life each during their run chase on Sunday. When you make mistakes, there are consequences – Simmons remained unbeaten on 67 and Lewis scored 40. Ravindra Jadeja, who is arguably the best fielder in any format of the game let the ball slip through his legs for a boundary. That sure did hurt the skipper who is definitely not happy with the Indian fielding for a second game in a row.
"I think we were good with the ball in the first four overs, we created enough pressure. But if you drop two chances in a T20 game then, it's going to cost you,” Kohli stated.
"If they'd lost two wickets in an over, they'd have been under pressure. I think it's a game of margins and we need to understand where we went wrong. It's there for everyone to see. Fielding is something... we need to be more brave. We shouldn't be afraid of dropping catches."
Amidst all, captain Kohli took a blinder near the boundary to dismiss Shimron Hetmeyer during the run chase on Sunday.
"It was one of those catches that stuck, it came out of the lights a little bit. But I just committed to it and put both hands out and it stuck. In the last game, I put one hand out and I dropped it. It's about putting in the effort and controlling what you can, sometimes it sticks and sometimes it doesn't," Kohli said.
The next and the deciding encounter is all set to take place at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai and Bet 365 is offering odds of 2.37 for West Indies to score more boundaries than India. Indian cricket fans can only hope that they do not let through boundaries and drop catches in the final match of the series.
