Follow us

It's players who make me the captain I am, says Kohli

no image
no image

In his short tenure as captain, Virat Kohli has already become India's third-most successful captain and is on a 19-match unbeaten streak.He believes this magnificent streak is a complete team effort and credited the team's ability to keep the momentum going even if some of the guys are not in form.

"Honestly it is the players that make you the captain that you become. To be very honest, anyone knows how to set fields in the ground, it's just that you have to make sure that you take up the responsibility of keeping the energy of the team up.

"I look to push myself, throw myself around in the field so that other guys know that they also have to push for a wicket.

"The bowlers know what they need to do but the fielders within the ring need to support the bowlers. I need to do that first, for the guys to show that energy. I have been able to maintain that and that has been a takeaway from the games that I have been captain so far. Lot of times, you know that there is only so much that you can do as a captain," Kohli said in the post-match press conference today.

Kohli also reserved special praise for the pacers who counted when needed - with their spin counterparts performing below their astronomical standards.

"Very good. Credit to our bowlers, they were able to get result on this kind of a track. Considering that the wicket was very good to bat on, it took a bit of patience for us to get wickets during Bangladesh first innings. I thought Umesh (Yadav), Bhuvi (Bhuvneshwar Kumar) and Ishant Sharma were brilliant in the first innings but Umesh stood out," he said.

"In the second innings, all three bowled really well but Ishant stood out. I have said in the post-match that quality of our spinners allows our fast bowlers to attack because of the way spinners bowl and contain runs, the pacers can really attack as soon as it starts reverse swinging," he added.

Talking about his 19-match unbeaten streak as a captain, Kohli said: "I don't think it's because of me. I mean everyone at the international level wants to do well.

"We are playing as a team and that's been the difference in this team, if you see, you can say probably 2016, I scored a lot of runs but before that in 2015 as well, we won a lot of matches. I didn't score many runs but the other guys stepped up and scored runs."

After completing yet another clinical performance in the one-off Test against Bangladesh, Indian team captain Virat Kohli said that the team is fully focussed on the next, and probably the toughest, task - the four-Test series against Australia. India hasn't lost even one of their last 19 Tests and are in their best ever run in history. The captain himself has led the way, scoring four double centuries in the last seven months alone.

But he is no mood to relax and enjoy these milestones as the next task at hand is not too far away as the Test series against Australia begins February 23rd in Pune.

"I thought England was the biggest series for us this season, but having won that 4-0, we want to consolidate on that against Australia. Everyone's minds and hearts are already on it," Kohli said at the post-match presentation ceremony, where he picked the man-of-the-match award.

Kohli has always like playing against the Australian side and isn't afraid to give it back if they try to sledge him. With his words, and with his bat too, Kohli has always been at his bet against the Aussies. He scored his first Test hundred against them at Adelaide in 2012. India lost that series 4-0. When he went to Australia next time, he was also the stand-in captain of the team. He hit four centuries in four tests this time around, but India still lost the series 2-0.

Comments

Leave a comment

0 Comments

read previousWATCH, BPL | Umpiring debacle sees Mahedi given out in lieu of batting partner Nurul's field obstruction
The Bangladesh Premier League has been a hotbed of controversy ever since its inception and the latest season has only seen its reputation grow worse. The incompetence reached new limits on Thursday when Nurul Hasan was adjudged as having obstructed the field but remained not out.
Joe Root appointed England's new Test captainread next
Joe Root has been named the successor to Alastair Cook as the captain of the England cricket team after the latter led the English side in 59 Test matches over 4 years. Root was the obvious pick to ascend to the post ever since Cook stepped down after the horrendous 4-0 series loss in India.
View non-AMP page