We did not know how to stop Kohli, admits Misbah

Dhaka (The Telegraph): Pakistan skipper Misbah-ul Haq admitted that India had outclassed them on Sunday and that they were left clueless by Virat Kohli’s innings.

“All credit to India… the way they batted… 330 was tough to chase but they outclassed us… I was left clueless on how to defend the target. We did not bowl well and so we lost,” explained the Pakistan captain.

“The score of 329 wasn’t small. Our bowling was strong and we made a good start. We had many plans… We tried many things. But when someone is batting so well, it becomes tough. Nothing works in your favour and its tough to control the proceedings. I just didn’t know how to stop Virat. He even played Saeed Ajmal very well.”

Misbah lauded Virat’s innings as the best. “The way Virat batted was unbelievable… He batted with authority and it was tough to stop him. He was so fluent… It’s the best-ever one-day innings I have seen.”

Although the bowlers “wavered in their line and length”, the Pakistan skipper supported them and did not lose heart. “The bowlers have won us many matches in the past one year. It was a bad day for them today (Sunday)… They wavered in their line and length. They didn’t get it right in their big test against India. But that’s okay… May be another day…”

He was surprised by the way the Indians batted against Ajmal. “They really handled him well. Batting is all about confidence… They showed that in their approach… After having crossed the milestone of hundredth hundred, Sachin batted freely… that was bound to happen.”

The performance of Pakistan’s openers pleased Misbah. “Both the openers were superb. They showed that they have it them to click. It’s good for Pakistan cricket that they are getting runs.”

But the fielding left him unhappy. “There were a lot of lapses on the field. It happens when you are under pressure… We’ve got to pick up our performance in this department quickly.”