Favourites going into the semifinals, one bad day in office ruined India’s World Cup hopes, and ViratKohli suggested the ICC to consider introducing IPL-style playoffs in the knockout stages in future to ensure a level-playing field.
By his ownadmission, India lost the match in the first 45 minutes of their chase of 240,shattering a billion hopes days after the team finished on top of the leaguestage.
Asked whether IPL-style playoffs should be an option infuture, Kohli said, “Who knows in future. Maybe. If topping the tablemeans anything. I think these things can come into consideration, looking atthe magnitude of this tournament.”
“That is a really valid point. You never know when thatis going to be implemented.”
The Indian skipper, however, said the semifinal format hasits own charm as it completely negates a team’s previous performances in theevent.
“But I think that’s the challenge and different kind offun of these games as well that you have to be precise. It doesn’t matter whatyou have done before that. It’s a fresh day, fresh start, and if you are notgood enough, you go home,” Kohli said.
“So you have to accept that, as I said. It’s adifferent challenge for all the teams to turn up on that day and be absolutelyat the top of their game and whoever does that they get the result, as you sawtoday.”
Kohli was effusive in his praise for RavindraJadeja (77 off59 balls), who, in the company of Mahendra Singh Dhoni (50), stitched 116 runsfor the seventh wicket to keep India in the hunt.
Jadeja’s knock came after his tiff with former cricketerSanjay Manjrekar, who had called the all-rounder a “bits and piecesplayer”.
“I don’t think we, any of us had to say anything toJadeja after what happened over the last one week. He was quite ready to justget on to the park, to be honest (smiling),” said the India skipper.
“And you saw the passion with which he played and wehave seen it in Test cricket a few times, he’s played knock under tremendouspressure and he’s got three triple hundreds in first class cricket if I’m notwrong, so the talent has obviously always been there.”
Kohli rated Jadeja’ rear-guard knock as one of the best hehas ever seen of the left-hander, which raised visions of an improbable win forIndia.
“And in my watching Jadeja for 10 years, me playingwith him as well, this is probably his top quality, like best knock accordingto me because the kind of pressure, the stage we are at, almost out of the gameand then he produces that. So he was very motivated,” he said.
“Yes, at that stage, we all felt like in the changingroom the game can be closed out, it can be done, but then again he played sowell and then a mistake can happen at any stage — I don’t think it was even amistake, it was lack of execution which in one-day cricket you have to take arisk here and there,” he said.
“I’m really happy for him because he’s been a veryunderstated cricketer but a top quality cricketer for India in the field, withthe ball, with the bat, priceless.”
Kohli was also full of praise for the Black Caps, saying hewasn’t at all surprised by the way they came out fighting while defending themodest total.
“I wasn’t surprised with how New Zealand played, to behonest. If there is a low total, we knew there’s probably only one or two sidesin world cricket that will put seven fielders in the ring and that was alwaysgoing to be New Zealand,” he said.
“We knew they were going to attack more and not let thegame go to the end, they won’t take it deep, they will go all out and play thegame that way because I have seen them play that way.”Today also third man was up in the ring.In the one-day game you had five catching fielders. So they know how to putpressure because they play very consistent cricket and today was an example ofthat,” he added.