India head coach Ravi Shastri and Virat Kohli during the match. (Source: Reuters)
Virat Kohli’s India went down by an innings and 159-run defeat in the second Test at Lord’s to trail the five-match Test series 2-0. The Indian skipper did not give excuses for the embarrassing loss and said that he was not proud of the way they played.
This was India’s first innings defeat under Kohli’s captaincy. Giving England credit, Kohli said, “Not very proud of the way we played to be honest. First time in last five Test matches we’ve been outplayed. Credit to England. They were clinical. When a team plays like that they deserve to be on the winning side.”
Not giving excuses, the Indian captain further said, “Can’t really think about those things (conditions not in favour). You have to counter the conditions as and when they come to you. Can’t crib about these things. Sometimes the rub of the green will go your way too. Won’t sit around and say that we didn’t have the best of conditions.”
“Their bowlers were relentless with the ball. Looking at things now, the weather was so unpredictable, I think we got the combination a bit off before the game. Chance to correct that next game.”
Kohli, who did not field when India took the field at the start of play because of a stiff back, said, “Five days to go, should be okay. Lower back issue coming up again and again, purely because of the workload. Confident I’ll be fine in five days time.”
Meanwhile, winning team captain Joe Root praised his bowlers after the match and said, “Less stressful, definitely. Fantastic from the very first ball. Bowling unit were exceptional throughout the whole game. We probably did have the conditions throughout, but you still have to perform, ask the right questions of the batsman.”
Praising Jonny Bairstow and Chris Woakes for their partnership, Root said, “To get that far in front, testament to the partnership between Jonny and Woakes. Really pleased for Woaksey. Number of occasions he scored how talented he is with the bat. Chuffed to bits for Woakes. State of the game, everything about it, and him coming back into the side, someone who’s always been a big part of the squad, great to see him have the rewards.”