‘Not brave enough’: Virat Kohli says Team India under pressure after two back-to-back defeats

Hopes hanging by a thread, Indian captain Virat Kohli admitted his team was “not brave enough” with bat or ball after they suffered second consecutive defeat in T20 World Cup on Sunday.

“I don’t think we were brave enough with bat or ball,” said Kohli after losing to New Zealand India, who lost their first Super 12 match to Pakistan by 10 wickets, is in danger of missing the semi-finals. Men in blue will face Afghanistan, Scotland, and Namibia in their remaining games.

“We didn’t have much to defend but we weren’t brave when we walked out to field. When you play for the Indian cricket team you have a lot of expectations — not just from fans, but players as well,” he added.

Fast bowler Trent Boult and leg-spinner Ish Sodhi shared five wickets to restrict India to 110 for seven after being invited to bat first in the Super 12 clash in Dubai. Skipper Kane Williamson and Daryl Mitchell, who made 49, put on 72 runs for the second wicket as the Kiwis romped home in 14.3 overs and handed India their second straight loss of the tournament.

Jasprit Bumrah denied Mitchell his maiden fifty but the wicket proved a minor blemish for New Zealand, who bounced back from their opening loss to group-toppers Pakistan. “So there’s always going to be more pressure with our games and we’ve embraced it over the years,” Kohli said. Williamson hailed his team as they collected their first win. “A fantastic all-round performance from us against a formidable India side. We were able to build pressure throughout and the way the openers came out really set the platform,” he said.