Virat Kohli on Umesh Yadav’s 10-wicket haul: The Indian was wax lyrical about Man of the match Umesh Yadav.
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With India wrapping up another Test match within three days, it speaks highly about them being formidable in home conditions. With a 10-wicket victory over Windies, this was India’s 10th consecutive series victory at home, only the second team to do so.
During the post-match presentation, captain Virat Kohli was vocal about him not expecting this match to finish today itself. Speaking to Sanjay Manjrekar, he was quoted, “We didn’t expect that in the morning. West Indies did really well to put pressure on us. Getting 50-60 lead was a bonus for us. We wanted more.
“But we understood how to create pressure and intensity with the ball. Didn’t think a three-day finish was part of the plan.”
On being asked about the maturity which the youngsters have shown in the last two series for India, Kohli said that it is a huge positive for the team. “If you look at the three new guys [Rishabh Pant, Hanuma Vihari and Prithvi Shaw] who’ve come in, they’ve grabbed their opportunities. I think all these things are a big positive,” he said.
“But from this Test I want to single out Umesh [Yadav]. Shardul [Thakur] broke down and to take ten wickets is great. His energy in the field too. Outstanding performance. We’re all happy for him,” Kohli appreciated Yadav’s big-hearted effort.
The 29-year old captain was well aware about India’s riches in the bowling department, citing it as a great luxury ahead of the tour of Australia. “I think it’s a great luxury to have [several seamers]. We have a headache to choose out of so many good quality bowlers. That’s a better position to be in than looking for bowlers. I’m really happy to see these guys fit and hungry. It’s up to the batsmen to do the rest of the job,” he added.
Talking about his batsmen, chiefly the partnership between Ajinkya Rahane and Pant, Kohli spoke highly about their efforts for they rescued India from a spot of bother yesterday.
“I think this game was tougher for the batsmen. This first innings was more challenging than the last one. Jason coming in – he knows how to take wickets. Jinx has been batting really well, he got runs in Nottingham and we won the Test. He wanted runs under the belt. His 145 partnership with Pant is something we want to see more of,” Kohli further added.
Read some of the recent Twitter reactions on India’s victory below:
