The way India bounced back in the second Test in Chennai after losing the opener “pleased” captain Virat Kohli the most, after his troops recorded an emphatic 3-1 series win versus England.
Kohli also didn’t forget to mention the innings of Rohit Sharma, whose 161 at the top of the order on a challenging wicket at Chepauk set the tone for India’s bid to restore parity.
“The comeback in the second Test pleased me the most. The first game was an aberration given the way we played as a team. The toss played a crucial role and I don’t think the bowlers were in the game at all.
“But we batted well in the second Test and bowled and fielded with more intensity, which made the comeback more heartening,” Kohli said at the series-end presentation on Saturday at the Motera stadium.
“Also, Rohit’s knock was the most defining moment for us coming back in the series. Getting 150-odd on that pitch was as good as getting 250 and it got us back into the contest. Throughout the series, he got important knocks and partnerships,” the skipper stressed.
Talking about the World Test Championship (WTC) final berth, a “brutally honest” Kohli, on the eve of the final Test, had termed the competition as more of an incentive for those teams not too motivated to play Test cricket. At present, though, the WTC is a “reality” for his team.
“We can now accept that we are in the WTC final. It did become a bit of distraction for us in New Zealand (last year), but we took it one game at a time since then,” Kohli stated.
Axar Patel was the find for India in this series, but what could be more reassuring for the team was the progress of Rishabh Pant in terms of his wicketkeeping too. Moreover, Pant proved that his performances in the tour of Australia weren’t flash-in-the-pan kind.
“We were hard on Pant. He was told in no uncertain terms that he had to respect the game a little more. He was also told to lose a bit of weight and work hard on his wicketkeeping. We know the talent he has and he has responded. He has worked like hell for the last few months and the results are here to see,” head coach Ravi Shastri told the official broadcaster.
