Win in fifth ODI very satisfying, says Virat Kohli

What’s the story?

Virat Kohli scored a record-breaking 18th second-innings ODI ton against the West Indies to take the man-of-the-match accolade and help India to the ODI series win earlier today. He was content with his ability to adapt, the team’s change of approach following the last ODI defeat and opened up on his approach to batting to the media. On being asked how it felt to win the game, he said it was “very satisfying”.

In case you didn’t know…

India entered the series knowing well the expectation was to win every single game against a depleted West Indies side. They lost the 4th ODI by 11 runs in a dismal batting effort. Kohli got out twice to the short ball in the 3rd and 4th game. The series was eventually won 3-1, with the first game washed out.

Extra cover: Stats: Virat Kohli breaks Sachin Tendulkar's record for most ODI hundreds while chasing

Ajinkya Rahane and Dinesh Karthik put on partnerships with Kohli after Shikhar Dhawan was dismissed cheaply, to win the game comfortably by 8 wickets.

The details

Virat Kohli is some what of an expert when it comes to chasing. He has scored 18 ODI centuries chasing, the most in history. “To read situations it becomes easier when you have a total on the board. It doesn't happen often every time, but more often than not, if you can believe that whatever total is on the board you can plan and chase it down, it ends up happening,” he said of his attitude towards batting second.

This was Kohli’s 28th century overall, and explained his approach to batting as such, "If you get into a clear mindset and give yourself targets, after reaching 30-40, I am going to start pulling the ball or I am going to start taking on the short ball. Then your targets become easier, you have a clearer picture.” The Indian skipper said he was happy as this was a risk free innings, but was not one he rated as highly as others.

He also spoke about how the team found itself in a similar situation as they had in the previous ODI, and how they had changed their approach. He revealed that along side Rahane, he took a calmer approach, rotated the strike and tried not to get bogged down while chasing as the team had in the previous ODI. By not taking risks and allowing the West Indians to pick up wickets, the pair set India up for the win. He also mentioned Dinesh Karthik’s attacking approach once India were set, and lauded his team for their performance.

What’s next?

For India, their approach to slow and low pitches was under the scanner after the defeat in the fourth ODI. While that fear still remains, the boys in blue will be in a much better state of mind to face the Sri Lankans in Sri Lanka in August on the slow tracks of Colombo, Pallekele and Dambulla.

The one-off T20I against the West Indies will be on the same ground, Sabina Park, and should be an interesting contest, with some of the West Indies’ bigger names participating. The pitch is likely to be a fresh one, but will play somewhat similarly to the one used on Thursday.

Author’s take

Before we begin the customary back-slapping and champagne-popping, let’s remind ourselves of what India really achieved in this series. We learnt that Ajinkya Rahane can hit a white ball on slow wickets. We learned that Indian pitches and West Indian pitches are different, and that if Indians try to launch every weird stop-and-go type of ball Jason Holder bowls into the Atlantic, they will probably get out. We also learned that Ashwin and Jadeja might not be the best ODI bowlers, even when conditions suit them.

We discovered Kuldeep Yadav and re-discovered Mohammed Shami. But while the win was ‘very satisfying’, the series is still kind of a disappointment (3-1 against the West Indies isn’t exactly worth it.

Fine, India won without the coach that Virat Kohli sort of got fired, and we saw Harsha Bhogle return, but Rishabh Pant remains inexplicably untested, Dinesh Karthik is still inconsistent, Dhoni and Yuvraj are waning powers, India doesn't know its best pacers or it’ best spinners for that matter and Shikhar Dhawan is kind of a flat track bully.

India won. And I know Indian fans are ready to party, but what did India really win? Kohli got another century against a List A attack, India lost a game chasing 189 and nobody attended any of the games. There are positives, but when Virat Kohli says the win was “satisfying”, he really means it was “relieving”. They didn’t get upset, but they were beaten once. They experimented with their team, but not correctly. And finally, they came in with a settled lineup, but leave the Caribbean with more questions that answers.