Stand-in captain Virat Kohli termed India’s comeback after back-to-back defeats as a “commendable” one as it showed the character of the side that enabled them to reach the final of the tournament in such convincing fashion.
“To bounce back like this and finish top of the table is a commendable effort. I am very proud of the team,” a beaming Kohli said at the post-match presentation ceremony.
Kohli was happy that the team showed character in making such a strong comeback in the tournament.
“We have shown a lot of character. When three good teams are playing in the tournament, anything can happen. We were never bothered about the rain delays. Our performance showed what happens when one executes their plans properly.”
The young captain said that when he was involved in a 49-run partnership with Rohit Sharma, he didn’t want to take any undue risks.
“When I and Rohit were playing, we just wanted to play ourselves in. It paid in the end, because we had wickets in hand, and it worked in the D/L calculations. Then the bowlers responded beautifully.”
Man of the match Bhuvneshwar Kumar termed the pitch at the Port of Spain as the “most helpful so far” that he has bowled on. “It’s important to hunt in pair and pitch the ball in right areas. It worked well for me and I am proud that I have performed well for my country,” the UP seamer said.
Scorecard
India: R. Sharma (not out) 48, S. Dhawan c Jayawardene b Mathews 15, V. Kohli lbw b Herath 31, D. Karthik b Herath 12, S. Raina (not out) 4. Extras (b 1, lb 3, w 3, nb 2) 9. Total (for 3 wkts, in 29 overs) 119.
FoW: 1-27, 2-76, 3-111.
Bowling: Eranga 6-0-27-0, Dilhara 8-0-40-0, Mathews 5-1-5-1, Malinga 3-1-7-0, Herath 6-0-32-2, Mendis 1-0-4-0.
Sri Lanka: U. Tharanga c Raina b Kumar 6, M. Jayawardene c Vijay b Kumar 11, K. Sangakkara lbw b Kumar 0, D. Chandimal st Karthik b Jadeja 26, L. Thirimanne c Kohli b Kumar 0, A. Mathews c Karthik b Jadeja 10, J. Mendis b Ashwin 13, L. Dilhara c Karthik b Ishant 6, R. Herath c Vijay b Ishant 4, S. Eranga (not out) 2, L. Malinga c Jadeja b Yadav 7. Extras (lb 6, w 5) 11. Total (all out in 24.4 overs) 96.
FoW: 1-14, 2-14, 3-27, 4-31, 5-56, 6-63, 7-78, 8-84, 9-87.
Bowling: Kumar 6-1-8-4, Yadav 4.4-0-28-1, Ishant 4-0-17-2, Jadeja 5-0-17-2, Ashwin 5-0-20-1.