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'England hit the right areas and made us play bad shots. I would have liked 10-15 runs more.'
England was able to draw level in the ongoing T20 series because they came well-prepared to effectively tackle wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav, opined India captain Virat Kohli, after losing the second Twenty20 by five wickets, in Cardiff, on Friday night.
Kohli had no qualms in admitting that the hosts were the better side as they comfortably chased down the 150-run target.
Kuldeep, who bamboozled the England batsmen in the series-opener and returned a five-wicket haul, went wicket-less on Friday.
"They played Kuldeep really well today, and that was the difference in the middle-overs this time. They did their homework and played Kuldeep really well. Need to get back the day after," Kohli said after the match.
Losing the top-order inside five overs, he said, pegged them back. Rohit Sharma (5), Shikhar Dhawan (10) and K L Rahul (6) departed early, leaving India struggling at 22 for three.
"It's always difficult to come back after losing three early wickets. England hit the right areas and made us play bad shots. I would have liked 10-15 runs more. We thought 149 would be competitive, especially since they had to win. But they eventually did win."
Kohli also lamented the boundary conceded by pacer Umesh Yadav after bowling a tight 19th over.
"The format is cruel: Umesh was outstanding, but the final-ball boundary changed things. Those little things count. Gotta brush it aside, had a good game, but England were better than us," he said.
England captain Eoin Morgan was pleased that the conditions favoured them.
"We showed character. There was a bit more bounce today. When it bounces you can take wickets, and that's what we did. Willey did well, and the unit as a whole did really well. We were happy with that total. To get 150 was a cagey affair, but was happy to go over the line," he said.
"The way Alex played today, he adapted to conditions really well, and did small partnerships that helped us chase this down. We normally play spin quite well, but it's a matter of being logical while playing."
Hales top scored for the hosts with his 41-ball unbeaten 58 and was adjudged Man-of the-Match.
"It was an important game, and nice to take the team through to the win. I had to look at a big more footage for the spinners, and this time I played more on the backfoot. The other day was just a bad day at the office. Bowling effort was outstanding. Two very strong teams so all to play for in Bristol."