The third and final T20 game of the series between India and South Africa was washed out without a ball being bowled. South Africa had already won the T20 series, and even if the game had gone through, it would not have made much of a difference. But Virat Kohli lamented the series loss and said that it hurts when India lose on Indian soil.
India were outclassed by the upbeat Proteas side in the first two matches. One would believe that this series loss will be an eye-opener ahead of the ICC World T20 2016, which will be held in India.
"As a team it hurts you because you are playing at home. We are more used to the conditions than South Africa are. But we have not played too many T20 games since the World Cup last year," Kohli told Star Sports on Thursday.
"We have a lot of T20 games now, going forward into the World T20. The key is not be be too hard on ourselves, and we just need to learn from these games. It is actually a blessing in disguise to work out our combination before the big event."
Up next for India are five ODIs against South Africa, starting from Sunday. The first ODI will be played at the Green Park Stadium in Kanpur. Kohli will be a crucial man, as usual, handling the all-important No. 3 position in the batting order.
The India Test skipper is currently happy with his current form with the willow, and is hopeful of performing well in the ODI series against the upbeat Proteas.
"My mental set-up does not really change [whether I am captain or not]. I am feeling pretty good. I am batting quite well since Sri Lanka, and have been talking a lot with (batting coach) Sanjay Bangar and we felt I am hitting the ball a lot better than I ever have. I just have to work on my balance at the crease and my contact points," Kohli added.
"Dharamsala was a first experience of playing a different sort of role, just taking singles and giving Rohit [Sharma] the strike. In the second game, unfortunately, I got run out. It happens in international cricket. But personally, pretty happy with the way I am hitting the ball."
