Under the ever astute and solid leadership of Virat Kohli, the Indian Test side is achieving some historic feats with every passing game. Going into the series against Sri Lanka, India was always the sheer favourites, given the team’s run of form in the format in the last year or so. However, as things panned out, India not only whitewashed Sri Lanka in their own backyard but also stamped their complete authority over the hosts.
In just the seventh instance of the game’s history, a team was whitewashed at home in a series of three or more Tests. For India and Kohli though, the main test lies now, in the form of the next round of overseas tours, as India are completely equipped to take on any team in any condition.
Post the win, skipper Virat Kohli termed Hardik Pandya’s contribution as the biggest positive for the side.
“Good win for us,” said Kohli. “Very happy with the overall performance. Always feels nice to have convincing wins, pretty good day for us. The regulars have performed, but the biggest positive would be Hardik’s inclusion and the way he shaped up in these three Test matches. The kind of confidence he showed the with the ball and the maturity with the bat, it really gives us a lot of boosts and the balance.”
“The usual suspects are always there and thereabouts. We are a young side, we look forward to playing Test cricket, we look forward to playing every single Test match with the same kind of excitement and that is the only way you can be ruthless. We like to be prepared before hand and be proactive rather than being reactive,” Kohli further added.
When asked about his opponents, Kohli maintained that the Sri Lankan side had a bright future ahead.
“We have age on our side and we have an opportunity to play together for five, six years for the country. All of them are super talented players that is why they are playing for the country. They beat Australia 3-0. Sometimes the side has momentum, sometimes they don’t. It’s all about keeping the belief going and not losing motivation because of a few results. That is what we believe in as a team as well.”