If there is one thing that has marred India’s brilliant performances in Tests at home in recent times, it has to be the criticism the hosts have faced due to preparing turning pitches. The likes of Australia, South Africa and New Zealand were thoroughly outplayed by India and there were speculations that England will be given a similar treatment. However, surprising one and all, the home team prepared sporting pitches. But the Indian players read the conditions well and gave an inspiring performance once again to help their team take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.
Indian skipper Virat Kohli was quick to point out the fact that none of the pitches in the series have been turners so far and insisted that his team is focussed on playing standard pitches.
Kohli said:”I think it’s exactly been 12 months about us playing on unfair pitches and the question has turned itself. So we don’t need to say much about the pitches. We are a team that is focussed on playing good cricket and win sessions and situations. Or, if we are in trouble, come back out of those tough situations. It was a perfectly good wicket for cricket and if you talk about the pace bowlers as well, they rushed in and put in the effort and they got the results as well.
“It was a wicket where if you persisted long enough, you get the results that you want. And I felt that we did that pretty well to get the result our way. Even when we played in Kolkata earlier this year, we showed that we are not a side that wants square turners. We have enough skill to play good cricket and win against any team and that’s the kind of belief we have created in the change room and that can only happen when you are not worried about what’s happening outside that door. You focus on your skills and strengths and move along,” he added.
Teams batting first in subcontinental conditions always get some advantage since the pitch becomes tough to bat on as the game progresses. However, the hosts did not allow Alastair Cook’s men to capitalise on the situation and dismissed them for a paltry 283. And Kohli expressed his delight with the way his players performed.
“I was surprised to hear the cheer when they won the toss. You still have to go out and win the game. We got motivated by that actually. We lost the toss, bowled them out for 280. Very happy with the way the guys have stood up,” said the Indian skipper.
Kohli also lauded the lower order for their contribution with the bat. In reply to England’s first innings total of 283, the hosts were reeling at 204 for 6 and the visitors were looking set to take a handy lead. But a 97-run partnership between Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja helped the hosts surpass England’s total. India’s position was further consolidated by another crucial partnership of 80 runs between Jadeja and Jayant Yadav. Both the players completed their half-centuries as India were eventually dismissed for 417.
“It was amazing to see the lower order contribute. The lower-order contribution is a proud achievement. That pushes the opposition back. Ashwin is a champion, No. 1 allrounder, Jadeja is in the top 10, and for Jayant to show the maturity in his first Tests. He asked me for the fields he wanted. He took their spinners on,” said Kohli.
While the spinners have been the biggest architects of India’s recent victories in Tests, Kohli will take a lot of heart from the way his fast bowlers performed. On a pitch that had little assistance for the fast bowlers, Mohammad Shami and Umesh Yadav bowled brilliantly and constantly troubled English batsmen with their pace.
When asked about having such a strong bowling lineup at his disposal, Kohli said:”It obviously boosts your confidence up a notch. With quality bowlers in your reserves as well, as captain, I think you can ask your bowlers to push in every game that they play. We still have Ishant Sharma and Bhuvneshwar Kumar sitting and waiting for their chance to play. Both quality bowlers.
“Even in spin, Amit Mishra hasn’t played, so the good thing is that whoever is playing they are standing up and making their presence felt. That as a captain is very pleasing, especially in a game like this where you lose the toss and get the opposition out for 280 on a flat wicket, really gives you confidence as a bowling unit that you are on top and you are dictating terms. As a captain it is an added advantage'” he added.
Mohammed Shami was particularly impressive with the red cherry as he gave English batsmen all sorts of trouble with his short bowling. When Kohli was asked whether the pacer has become a better player after returning from injury, he said: “Yes, he is stronger and he had to train that extra bit because it was a knee injury and obviously he couldn’t do anything with it. He came back, trained really hard and is rushing in much more now. He is able to sustain that energy for good 4 to 5 overs. He is bowling long spells. He has become more aware of what he wants to do and what he has to do to be a good Test bowler.”
Kohli also downplayed the incidents that happened between him and Ben Stokes. It all started when the Indian skipper gave the English all-rounder a verbal send-off in the first innings. Stokes retaliated by doing a muted celebration after dismissing Kohli. But the Indian captain had the last laugh as he put both fingers to his lips to replicate Stokes’s gesture after the latter was dismissed in the second innings.
When asked about the incident, he said:“I’m surprised out of all the cricket questions, you picked this. He’s a competitive player and so am I. I wouldn’t like to explain or elaborate what happened on the field. It’s better left to officials to know what happened. These things have only motivated me in the past and continued to do so. So I don’t mind it.”
He also heaped lavish praise on Parthiv Patel who scored a quickfire fifty in the second innings to help India cross the finish line without many hiccups. When asked whether the southpaw could become India’s back-up opener, Kohli said:“That’s actually a good headache, to be honest. You never know, there are all kinds of possibilities. The way he approached both innings, it was amazing to see. That’s where experience from the first-class level comes into play.
He’s someone who’s played [for India] at a very early age and he’s come back and the intent he showed in both innings, I think, just deflated the opposition. Credit to him to go out there and counter-attack and take on their seamers. I think he really stood out in this game for me as a batsman. As a keeper as well, he did well. You never know. We’ll see what happens in the next few days. We’ll take a call accordingly,” he added.
The fourth Test of the match will start on December 8 at Mumbai.