We were not brave enough: Kohli

Virat Kohli
It has been a real struggle for Virat Kohli and the Indian team. Photo: AFP

Dubai: Indian captain Virat Kohli on Sunday said his team was not brave enough with the bat, ball and in their body language as they copped an eight-wicket thrashing at the hands of New Zealand which has put the side in danger of a group-stage exit from the T20 World Cup.

India ere outplayd by a clinical New Zealand team that beat their opponents in all departments of the game, exactly seven days after the 10-wicket drubbing that the Men in Blue received from Pakistan.

"I don't think we were brave enough with bat or ball. We were not brave enough with our body language," Kohli said at the post-match presentation ceremony.

India were restricted to a below-par 110/7 after being sent in to bat with the likes of Trent Boult, Ish Sodhi and Mitchell Santner sharing the spoils with the ball.

"We didn't have much to defend but we weren't brave when we walked out to field."

The defeat will once again raise questions over Kohli's leadership even though he is stepping down from T20 captaincy after the ongoing tournament.

Asked about the weight of expectations on the team, Kohli said, "When you play for the Indian cricket team you have a lot of expectations -- not just from fans, but players as well.

"So there's always going to be more pressure with our games and we've embraced it over the years. Everyone who plays for India has to embrace it. And when you cope together as a team you overcome it and we haven't done it these two games.

"Just because you're the Indian team and there are expectations doesn't mean you start playing differently. I think we're fine, there's a lot of cricket left to play," Kohli added, referring to the three remaining group games that the team must win to stay in contention.

India are scheduled to play Afghanistan onWednesday , Scotland on Friday and Namibia on November 8, which will wind up the league stage of the T20 showpiece.

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