Very happy with Ravindra Jadeja and Wriddhiman Saha's performance : Virat Kohli. Image : Xtra Time[/caption]Kolkata : India pulled off a brilliant all-round performance to beat New Zealand by 178 runs in the second Test to clinch the series with an unassailable 2-0 lead which also helped them to go the top of the ICC rankings dethroning arch-rivals Pakistan, at Eden Gardens, Kolkata today.
Virat Kohli's men wrapped up the series-deciding victory on the Fourth day of the match after setting the Black Caps a mammoth target of 376 runs to chase.
Opener Shikhar Dhawan got a thumb injury during Eden Test, while facing Trent Boult in the second innings. Doctors said that he got a minor fracture in his hand, he is under observation and he has been advised 15 days rest. BCCI media manager said,”We have informed the selectors regarding this matter and the replacement of Shikhar for the third test would be sent in one or two days.” As of the sources the replacement might be Karun Nayar.
Kohli was very happy about his team, after they have reached the top spot in ICC Test Rankings. Here is what he had to say at the post-match press conference:
Question 1 : Virat a lot of teams come to India thinking of a spin friendly wicket, but here your fast bowlers got the majority of the wicket, what is your comment regarding this?
Virat : I don’t think it that way, we can’t think of external factors. Our aim is to win the game of cricket any where any place and we have shown that over the past one and half years. So we don’t go out there to prove anything to anyone that we have a challenging wicket we have to win because people are asking questions. We have confidence on our abilities and we know what we have to do to win the match anywhere with any kind of wickets.
Question 2 : Virat you are a match winner, but do you believe in individual brilliance to win a match or team performance?
Virat : If all of your players perform there is nothing like it, because you don’t want to sit in the change room and see couple of sad faces. When everyone contributes, it’s a happy environment players are happy about what they have done for the team in a victory. In this match everyone has contributed for the team and fought for the team’s victory which shows the tough character of all the players and this is a test match which players took it as an opportunity rather than the pressure of character building, because the more we learn to win matches like this we can learn how test matches can be won, so we can keep repeating those things, that’s what consistency is all about. Individual brilliance can win you one or two games but as a captain I think this win is far more satisfying than an individual brilliance.
Question 3 : What you have gained in last two matches apart from the NO 1 spot in ICC Test Rankings?
Virat : The way I see it the batting contribution of Jadeja in the both innings and Umesh Yadav a little bit in the first innings of the first Test and Wriddhiman Saha in the both innings in this game. Rest of the players had also given their best too but Jadeja and Saha are batting at positions which are very important in test cricket. For that reason we let Jadeja to cross his fifty at Kanpur Test, because that way you understand how to get to that again and again, if you declare at 45 he will never get that extra boost of having got a half-century in a test match, so it is all about building confidence for particular individual, because we understand how important his character can be in a situation where you maybe need an extra 40 or 50 runs again, that is the guy who is confident and can do the job for you again. As a captain I think Jadeja in the first game and Saha here was great for us. Saha has been really well this year, I wish him well to keep going like this.
Question 4 : What’s your thought about reaching the top of the ICC Test rankings?
Virat : I have mentioned this before also, rankings are something that just some incentive what you do in the field. I didn’t even know how many how many points difference we have to get to No.1, we just want to win every game that we play as simple as that. It doesn’t mean that we take the foot off the paddle in Indore and we wont’t drop our intensity and we will try our level best to win the third test and win the series 3-0.
Question 5 : What is your thinking about your team’s batting work, as you have played in two different wickets in this series?
Virat : The batting work basically, see, obviously we prepare for conditions, but you don’t wanna get to much into conditions that you forget your mental setup. I think mental setup is far more important, a person who is feeling positive and optimistic about playing on a certain kind of wicket he will get runs.
Question 6 : You mentioned about engaging the crowd along during this match, What kind of an effect does that create on the bowler and on the batsman or even the umpire?
Virat : I think it makes a massive difference. It just create an energy because we experienced that, when we go to Australia, England or South Africa they get couple of wickets the crowd gets behind really loud and as a batsman you understand that creates a lot of pressure. You feel nervous, so I just try to think as a batsman how I would feel walking in if the ball is reverse swinging and the crowd is going mad behind the bowler who’s warm and willing to take wickets makes huge difference. If we are able to pick up two or three wickets in quick successions the crowd also loves it, and you know you engage them for the betterment of the team.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9i9TMXOeP9s
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