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Virat Kohli 'not proud' of his side in heavy defeat by England

13 Aug 2018

India Captain Virat Kohli said he was "not proud of his team" after they lost the second Test to England by an innings and 159 runs at Lord's. Kohli struggled with a back injury in the second innings, but is "confident" of being fit for the third Test at Trent Bridge, which starts on Saturday. "There's no hiding from the facts that mistakes have been made. We deserved to lose," he said. The win gives England a 2-0 lead in the five-match series. Sunday's play saw England declare on 396-7 and then dismiss India for 130, with James Anderson claiming 4-23 and Stuart Broad taking 4-44. India were bowled out for 107 in their first innings, and the only substantial partnership in their second saw Ravichandran Ashwin and Hardik Pandya add 55 runs for the seventh wicket. "I am not very proud of the way we played," Kohli admitted. "We have to be confident, get ahead of the mistake, and not make it again. This is the first game when we've been outplayed. A side like England, when they play like that, they can outplay anybody." Ashwin and Pandya's stand was only the third time an Indian wicket has put on more than 50 in the series so far, and Kohli says this is an area where improvements must be made. He said: "We haven't been able to have partnerships, which is the basic rule while batting. We haven't had any sort of partnerships in this game. That is something we really to focus on, stringing partnerships together." The 29-year-old was troubled by back spasms in his innings of 17, but thinks he will be ready to play in Nottingham when the next Test starts on Saturday, 18 August. He said: "We are confident with rehab and strengthening that I should be ready for the next game although not [with] the same intensity in the field. I should be good enough to hold a position in the field, and be 100% with the bat." (BBC Sport)


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