Only South Africa had the pressure of losing the ODI series, says Kohli 

TEAM INDIA beat South Africa by 73-runs in the fifth ODI to seal the six-match series 4-1. 

The men in blue posted a 275 target courtesy of Rohit Sharma’s brilliant century before the wrist spinners Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav once again bundled out the hosts to clinch the victory. Speaking to Shaun Pollock during the post-match presentation ceremony, skipper Virat Kohli expressed his delight and also stated that it was only South Africa who was under pressure of the losing the ODI series.

“Very pleased. Another convincing win for us and I thought the guys really got stuck in, with the bat, with the ball and on the field as well. It was a complete performance from us which was important to put together after the last game. Only one team had the pressure of losing the series right from the start and that was South Africa. We knew that a few mistakes and we’d be right back in the game. Right from the third Test in Johannesburg, it has been a great time for us. We’ve been playing some really good cricket and it has been a collective effort from the team-mates, the support staff, and everybody; feels wonderful to be 4-1 up.”

While it was opener Rohit Sharma who struck a 115 off 126 in the fifth ODI, it was Shikhar Dhawan who had hit a century in the fourth ODI. The middle-order faltered again as the visitors scored just 55-runs from the last 10 overs. Speaking about the overall performance, Kohli said,

“When three guys at the top are playing well and scoring consistently, every now and then you get an opportunity where you might not click, and when this series is wrapped up we’ll look to think about what we can do to improve and strengthen as we move forward.”

When asked about his approach to the final ODI at Centurion, the 29-year-old divulged that although the team could see a few changes they wouldn’t be taking the foot off the pedal.

“We want to win 5-1 for sure, that doesn’t change, but there’ll be a chance for others to step in as well. The first priority is to win and we’ll do anything to do that again.”

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