We Are Not Looking To Survive, We Are Here To Win: Virat Kohli
Mumbai: Team India captain Virat Kohli has said the team is not looking to survive the ongoing five-Test series but they’re in England to win.
After the defeat at Headingley, several questions were asked of this team, but India bounced back in style to produce a memorable show at the Oval to cruise to a 2-1 series lead. Also Read: Eng vs Ind: Visitors Know How To Fight Back, All Credit To Them, Says Silverwood
“Well, I think the best thing about both games is the character the team has shown. We are not looking to survive in this game, we are here to win. Really proud of the character the team has showed. I said at Lord’s as well, I am proud of the character shown by the team, this is amongst the top three bowling performances I have witnessed as India captain,” Kohli said after India’s resounding win. Also Read: Stop Worrying About Team Selection And Other Nonsense: ABD To Fans After India’s Win
Chasing 368 to win the Test, England got off to a good start, with openers Haseeb Hameed and Rory Burns adding 77 runs at stumps on the fourth day. With just one spinner, many believed that India would miss out on a second spinner, as the decks didn’t have much to offer to the fast bowlers. In the end, seven of the 10 England wickets to fall were accounted for by the Indian pacers, which is why Kohli dismissed the notion of a ‘flat pitch’. Also Read: I Always Believed I Had The Ability To Bat: Shardul Thakur
“It’s quite relative what you call flat. The conditions were hot and we knew were in with an opportunity when Jadeja was bowling into the rough. The bowlers were good with the reverse swing today. We believed we could get all 10 wickets, we had the belief,” the India captain added. Also Read: Glad That I Could Get Team Into Important Position: Rohit Sharma On 127(256)
Needing 10 wickets to win, India’s bowlers put on an excellent display of reverse swing, with Jasprit Bumrah, Umesh Yadav, Shardul Thakur and Ravindra Jadeja sharing nine wickets. In fact, so impressed was Kohli with India’s bowling that he rated it among the top three bowling performances of his eight-year-long captaincy career.
India and England will now lock horns in the fifth and final Test, beginning September 10 at Manchester.
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