India’s limited-overs series against Australia came to an end on Tuesday after the Virat Kohli-led side lost the third T20I by 12 runs in Sydney. It was a dead rubber as India already had an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series. Hence, the defeat did little to hamper Kohli’s confidence and at the post-match press conference, the India captain expressed confidence that his team has picked up momentum after losing the first two ODIs.
“We played good cricket over the last 11-12 T20s, the fact that this squad had players that don’t have much exposure in international cricket, from that point of view it was a nice performance especially after losing the first two ODIs. We came back nicely and showed belief,” Kohli said while speaking to reporters.
“We carried the momentum, fighting back again in the first T20s and even tonight, the game was close, so the standout is that guys are not giving up.”
Kohli singled out left-arm fast bowler T Natarajan as one of the biggest positive to come out from the limited-overs leg of the series, and Kohli expressed confidence that the youngster could be an asset to the Indian team keeping the T20 World Cup next year in mind. Natarajan played his first India game during the third ODI, picking up 2/70 before claiming six wickets from three T20Is.
“Special mention for Natarajan, in the absence of (Mohammed) Shami and Jasprit (Bumrah), he stood out and really delivered under pressure,” Kohli said. “It is outstanding because he is playing his first few games at the international level. He looks very composed, he is a humble and hard-working guy, he is sure of what he is doing.
“I hope he continues to keep working hard on his game and gets better because a left- arm bowler is an asset for any team and if he can keep bowling in this way consistently, it will be a great thing for us heading into the World Cup next year.”
