India captain Virat Kohli took pride in his 43th one-day international hundred, which sealed a 2-0 series win for his side against West Indies.
Kohli's 114* off 99 balls helped India chase down a DLS-adjusted target of 255 off 35 overs after West Indies posted 240/7 in their 35 overs. It was his second hundred in a row, and an incredible 26th while chasing.
"I've been around for a while," the captain explained. "Experience counts in pressure situations, understanding where the team is heading and what I need to do for the tempo of the game.
"You want to take pride in stepping up for the team as much as you can, and I definitely take a lot of pride in that. So yes, two good games with the bat from me, but, more importantly, we got the result because of my contribution. That feels much better."
Kohli admitted to some nerves in the camp when the match was interrupted by rain. Chris Gayle and Evin Lewis had given the West Indies a blazing start, reminding the Indians why they were rated as "two of the most dangerous players in the world in white-ball cricket". "We tried literally everything, we bowled every ball possible," said Kohli. "That was tremendous batting by them."
Being 92/3 in their reply did little to steady the team's nerves. However, Shreyas Iyer then came together with Kohli to add 120 for the fourth wicket. It was Iyer's second half-century in the series, doing his case to be a regular in the side no harm – and Kohli said as much.
Shreyas has come along really well. He's presented a strong case for himself to be a regular feature in the middle order.
Kohli on Iyer
"Shreyas has come along really well," he said, all praise for the 24-year-old. "He's stepped in and played with confidence. That augers well for the team. He's presented a strong case for himself ... to be a regular feature in the middle order.
"He wasn't intimidated at all, he was confident, very sure of his game. That's great to see, and hopefully he builds on to this and keeps performing for the team."
In what will come as high praise indeed, Kohli said the youngster's attitude reminded him of himself when he was starting out. "You need to stack up performances and play well under pressure," Kohli said. "I was exactly the same when I came in – any opportunity I got I wanted to win games for my team. You have take risks. He was brave under pressure. You need to reveal your game, you need to realise who you are, what your game is, what kind of player you are, so he's heading in the right direction."
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