Virat Kohli on Rahul and Pant’s centuries: Captain Kohli was wax lyrical about how Rahul and Pant scored individual centuries at The Oval.
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During the fifth day of the fifth Test of the ongoing Pataudi Trophy between England and India at The Oval, India captain Virat Kohli had heaps of praises for the way two of his out-of-form batsmen in Lokesh Rahul and Rishabh Pant batted.
Rahul, who had resumed his innings on 46* from yesterday, went on to score his fifth Test century, his first one in 20 months and first in England. When he got out, he ended up scoring 149 (224) with the help of 20 fours and a six.
Pant, on the other hand, came out to bat in a tense situation, just when India had lost two wickets in two overs. However, that didn’t matter to the 20-year old southpaw who was seen going after the bowlers form the word go. Even Pant scored a century, his maiden in Test cricket.
Playing in a way that not many players would have played at this level, Pant stood out on the fact a player is best suited to his natural game. In which was a highly entertaining innings for the fans, Pant ended up scoring 114 (146) with the help of 15 fours and four sixes.
During the presentation ceremony when Kohli was asked about the performance of Rahul and Pant, he said, “Credit has to go to both those young guys for stepping up on this stage. From three wickets down, it take guts. It might not show in the scoreline but both sides played in great spirit. That was an example of two guys not giving up and entertaining the crowd.”
Speaking exclusively for Pant, Kohli was quoted, “Take nothing away from those two guys, especially someone like Rishabh who’s come in and shown grit and determination. We certainly have the belief. It was a great preview of what’s in store for him.”
There is no hiding to the fact that India have lost the series 4-1. But apart from the scoreline, there is an aspect of the game which speaks of the Indian team indulging in a tightly-fought series.
Without making an excuse for his loss, Kohli also spoke about the intense competitionw which prevailed in this series. “This has been one of the best series I’ve been involved in, and a great advert for Test cricket. We didn’t speak about the result, we just wanted to go out and see what happened, waiting and watching, things can change very quickly. That’s the beauty of this format”, he further added.
