Ind vs Aus: Kohli says Hardik not fit enough to bowl; team body language not great
Nov 27, 2020
Sydney [Australia], November 27 : India was outplayed in all departments in the opening ODI against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Friday and skipper Virat Kohli made no excuses and said the team had enough time to prepare for the game.
"Got enough time to prepare. Don't think there can be any excuses. Probably the first long game we've played in a while, been playing T20 cricket. Probably that's something that can have an effect," he said at the end of the game.
The Indian fielding left a lot to be desired and that came as a surprise because India has in recent times done well on the field. Kohli said the team body language was not great after the first 25 overs.
"(Team) Body language wasn't great after around 25 overs. If you don't take your chances against a top-quality opposition they'll make you pay," he pointed.
The Indian team also looked like it missed an extra bowler and Kohli said Hardik Pandya is not fit enough to bowl.
"Unfortunately Hardik is not fit enough to bowl, and we don't have other all-round options to pick from either, someone like (Marcus) Stoinis or (Glenn) Maxwell," he said.
Kohli though backed his boys to continue playing aggressively. "From the batting point of view, we had a chat briefly now. All the batsmen committed to it which is why you saw us playing with intent. I think we gave ourselves the best chance. Hardik's innings was the best example of that. As a batting unit we committed nicely to positive cricket and we are going to do that in the future as well," he said.
