Jamaica: Virat Kohli's unbeaten knock of 111 off 115 balls not only helped India win the fifth ODI and the series against West Indies, in the process, the Indian captain also surpassed Sachin Tendulkar record 17 centuries while chasing. as this was Kohli's 18th ton while chasing.
Kohli, who was also the Player of the Match, said that winning the series was always good and that he was pleased with the team effort. “First and foremost the aim was to win the series. Special mention to Rahane, who's come back after a while and he was outstanding. Shikhar was also good at the top. Kuldeep was outstanding. I am really pleased with the team effort in general.”
“Winning convincingly in a chase is always nice. For me it's all about getting the team across the line. It's not about stats - it's about looking at the scoreboard, looking at the bowlers, which ones to target, which ones to give respect to. I like taking control of the situation, stringing partnerships. Again Ajinkya was very good, Dinesh too. People are grabbing their opportunities. Shami playing one-day cricket after two years and bowled splendidly.”
Meanwhile, Ajinkya Rahane, who was adjudged Player of the Series, said, “I really wanted to make it count. I wanted to enjoy my batting. Even in the Champions Trophy I was batting very well in the nets. I really wanted to make it count here. This wicket was slightly better than the last two venues. The ball was coming nicely on to the bat - this was the best wicket to bat on. As I mentioned, I just wanted to enjoy my batting. I didn't want to put pressure on myself. One-day cricket is all about expressing yourself and converting starts into a big one. Even in the future I want to enjoy myself and score some big ones.”
West Indian skipper Jason Holder said: “We were going well at the start. Kyle Hope was going really well. He got out at an unfortunate time and we never got back after that. The guys have to take control of their own actions - the faster we learn on our feet, the better it will be. I sympathise with the batsmen, but they need to learn quickly and use the off-season well. We knew the surface in Jamaica is pretty good for batting, and we didn't really capitalise. Three or four batsmen, we got in and got out. Our bowlers have been outstanding. We conceded one score of 300. But apart from that we did very well.”
