Bowlers stood up and took control: Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli (BCCI)

Auckland, Jan 26: Indian captain Virat Kohli on Sunday was all praise for his bowlers as his team beat New Zealand by seven wickets in the second T20I between the two sides at Eden Park in Auckland. This let India take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.

"The bowlers stood up and took control. I think the lines and lengths we bowled today, sticking to one side of the wicket and being sure of what we wanted to bowl. It was a very good feature for us as team," Kohli said in the post-match presentation ceremony. "That helped us restrict a strong side like New Zealand to such a low total," Kohli said.

Batting first, New Zealand could only manage 132 for the loss of five wickets.

Kohli felt that the total was below par and that his team also got off to a slow start primarily due to the low target.

"I think the pitch was good enough for a score of 160 in the first innings," he said.

It was an 86-run stand between KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer for the third wicket that wiped off any advantage that New Zealand gained from the early dismissals of Kohli and Rohit Sharma, but the Indian skipper felt that India had won the game with their effort with the ball and in the field.

"We understood the angles of the field better, how the pitch was playing, how the New Zealand batsmen were approaching. We had to make a few changes and I had to think on my feet as a captain. I think (Ravindra) Jadeja was outstanding, once again Chahal was a banker. (Jasprit) Bumrah was amazing as well. I think we backed it up in the field. The surface gripped a bit. When you have a complete performance like that, it helps."