Under pressure, you tend to miss MS Dhoni: Kohli

India’s stand-in captain Virat Kohli conceded that the calming presence of regular skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni was missed during the high-pressure ODI tri-series match against West Indies which the hosts won by a solitary wicket after a nail-biting chase.

Dhoni, who suffered from cramps while batting didn’t come out to field and it was Kohli who led the side in the match, which saw the Caribbeans huff and puff to a modest 230-run target.

‘There were times when you are under pressure and you miss him (Dhoni) because he remains calm under pressure,’ a disappointed Kohli said. Kohli assessed that there was marked change in the behaviour of the wicket when West Indies batted. ‘The way the wicket played in the second innings, the score wasn’t enough, but it was completely different in the morning, it was damp, it became better for batting later on,’ he said.

Kohli praised his bowlers for keeping them in the game but felt they were unlucky as a few edges didn’t carry to the fielders. ‘We tried to take as many wickets as possible, one or two edges going to the fielders would have been different, we were close to winning it. ‘There was a bit of spongy bounce in the morning and Narine was getting some turn. It was just a matter of one wicket. It was a great fight by us and good entertainment. West Indies had a great game,’ he said.

West Indies’ stand-in captain Kieron Pollard wasn’t happy that the match went down to the wire. ‘We find ways to get into these positions, but we won in the end. Teams of the past could have just fallen, that shows the belief of everyone in the team, victories such as these bring us together,’ a visibly satisfied Pollard said.

Pollard said the main goal was to go to Trinidad with two wins and he is happy that the team has been able to achieve that. ‘We wanted to go to Trinidad with two wins, does not matter how we have done it, but we have.’