Ravi Shastri heaps praise on Virat Kohli after India clinch yet another Test series victory on home soil against New Zealand.
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Carrying on with their dominance at home as far as the Tests are concerned, Team India handed New Zealand a heavy drubbing by as many as 372 runs at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium to clinch the two-match series 1-0.
The 372-run margin of victory is India’s biggest in terms of runs ever in the Test format. The 372-run loss is also New Zealand’s biggest defeat by runs in history. With this victory India go back to the number 1 spot in the ICC Test rankings, with the Kiwis falling down to the second spot.
Mayank Agarwal was adjudged the ‘Player of the match’ for his century (150 off 311) in the first innings, followed by a half-century (62 off 108) in the second on a track which had purchase for both the seamers upfront, and the spinners throughout with the purchase of extra bounce and turn.
Ravichandran Ashwin, who picked up a total of 14 wickets across the series, at an average of 11.35 was adjudged the ‘Player of the series’. This was Ashwin’s 9th Player-of-the-Series award in Tests, the joint second most for any player in the format.
Skipper Virat Kohli, on the other hand marked his return in some style as the skipper in Tests for India, after opting to rest in the first Test at Kanpur.
Ravi Shastri heaps praise on Virat Kohli
Post securing their record 14th consecutive series victory in Tests at home, Team India’s former head coach Ravi Shastri piled up praises on Virat Kohli regarding his dedication and commitment towards Test Cricket.
“I think if any team has been an ambassador for Test match over the last five years, it is this Indian cricket team. Virat worships Test match cricket, as do most of the team, which might surprise the world because of the amount of one-day cricket India plays, then IPL. If you ask anyone in the team, 99 percent of them would say they love Test match cricket. That’s why what India has done in the last five years – remain as the No. 1 team in the world at the end of every year,” Shastri told renowned author Jeffrey Archer on his podcast.
Shastri further exclaimed that the greatest legacy this team would leave behind is the manner in which they embraced the Test format.
“We may have lost the one-off WTC final against New Zealand – but otherwise We have dominated the format for the last five years. To win two series in Australia, to win the series that was taking place in England, to win everywhere around the world – white-ball and red-ball cricket, and to set a benchmark in red-ball cricket, the fast bowlers coming to the fore – unheard of from the Indian cricket team – it was remarkable. For me the greatest legacy this generation and this lot of players will leave is the way they have played Test cricket and embraced it,” exclaimed a proud Ravi Shastri.
