NEW DELHI: India captain Shubman Gill struck a candid and reflective note after his side slumped to a 41-run defeat against New Zealand in the series-deciding ODI on Sunday, admitting that while Virat Kohli’s batting continues to be a massive positive, the team still has “a lot of areas” that need improvement.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Kohli, once again, stood tall in adversity, smashing a record-extending 54th ODI century — his 85th international hundred — but his valiant effort went in vain as India were bowled out for 296 in 46 overs while chasing a stiff target of 338 at the Holkar Stadium. New Zealand clinched the series after India had entered the contest level at 1-1.
“After the first match, coming here 1-1, the way we played — a bit disappointed,” Gill said at the post-match presentation. “Lots of areas that need some improvement. There are areas we need to look back, reflect and do better.”Despite the defeat, Gill was quick to underline the positives, led, inevitably, by Kohli’s form. “The way Virat bhai is batting, that’s definitely a plus always,” the skipper said, acknowledging the senior batter’s consistency and impact even as results eluded the team.
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India’s chase had unravelled early at 71 for four, but Kohli revived hopes with a fighting 124 off 108 balls, laced with 10 fours and three sixes. He stitched together an 88-run stand with Nitish Kumar Reddy (53) and later added 99 runs for the seventh wicket with Harshit Rana (52), briefly keeping India in the hunt.Gill also praised Rana’s all-round contribution, particularly his batting down the order. “The way Harshit has batted in this series, batting at No. 8 is not easy, but the way he stepped up and the way our fast bowlers have bowled in this series has been pretty good,” he said.On Nitish Kumar Reddy, Gill stressed that opportunities would continue with an eye on the bigger picture. “Keeping the World Cup in mind and where it’s going to be, we want to give him opportunities and we want to give him enough overs when he’s out there and just see what kind of combinations work for us and what kind of deliveries work for him as well.”Kohli’s hundred added several milestones to his glittering career. It was his seventh ODI century against New Zealand — the most by any batter — and his 10th hundred overall against the Kiwis across formats. He also surpassed Ricky Ponting to become the leading run-scorer in ODIs at No. 3.
