Virat Kohli Praises Team Spirit After 4-0 Series Win Over England
Virat Kohli attributed the innings thrashing of England in the fifth Test to the hard work and team spirit, saying the comprehensive 4-0 series victory reflected the character of the side
- NDTVSports
- Updated: December 20, 2016 07:48 PM IST
Highlights
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India beat England 4-0 in five-match series
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Virat Kohli was named Man of the Series
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India will finish the year as No. in Tests after the win
Virat Kohli's boys have been on a glory-ride this season. They are unbeaten for 18 Tests and will now end 2016 as the No. 1 Test team, after their 4-0 series win over England.
He attributed the innings thrashing of England in the fifth Test to the hard work and team spirit, saying the comprehensive 4-0 series victory reflected the character of the side.
"After already clinching the series 3-0, to come out and perform like this, it is the evidence of the character in the side. It was evident the way we batted, bowled. We wanted the youngsters to step up, someone like Lokesh Rahul, then Karun Nair, they came in after two Test matches. They got us to a position where there was only one winner," Kohli said at the post match presentation ceremony.
"It's always a tricky position. England scored 477 then conceded a lead of 281. We understood that if we got a couple of wickets, it could slide pretty quickly. (Ravindra) Jadeja did his job, picking up seven wickets, it was great to watch."
Kohli lost four tosses out of five but India still registered four comprehensive victories.
"Yeah, we are proud of our performance. The toss and the pitch condition was out of equation. We conceded over 400 runs in England first innings but still ended up winning by an innings. That does not happen very often," Kohli said.
"We worked hard day in, day out and we don't care what happens outside. There is lot of respect among players in the changing room. That's how we end up being in a winning position more often than not.
"The lower order has also made outstanding contributions. Every time when we were under the pump, we've fronted up," said the skipper, who scored 655 runs with a hundred and a double century and was adjudged man of the series.
Talking about his fast bowlers, Kohli said, "We are proud of our fast bowlers. Pace was up there, was there consistency, better than theirs (England's) and that makes me very proud."