Edgbaston would have been my best knock had we won this, says Virat Kohli
Indian skipper Virat Kohli has rated his knock of 149 runs against England in the first innings of the first Test match at Edgbaston as the second best after the Adelaide ton in 2014. Kohli has stated that the Edgbaston knock would have been the best if India would have won the match.
India’s first Test against England turned out to be an enthralling match with the hosts winning the match by 31 runs. England had won the toss and opted to bat first. A decent performance by the Indian bowlers ensured that the hosts were restricted to 287. In came the visitors to bat on Day 2 and all of a sudden wickets started collapsing with India losing 5 wickets for a mere score of 100. Virat Kohli along with the remaining players helped India reach a total of 274. The skipper’s contribution (149) was more than 50 percent of the team’s total.
The second innings saw the Indians bowl extremely well setting a target of 194 runs in the final innings. India’s 2nd innings again saw the batting line-up struggle against swing bowling with Virat being the lone warrior. He managed to score a 50 but soon was trapped in front by Ben Stokes which almost meant victory for the hosts. Hardik Pandya did manage to keep India’s hopes alive for a while but gave away his wicket which sealed the victory for England.
In the post-match interview, Virat Kohli said that it was an exciting Test match and he was glad to be a part of it. He felt that there were a couple of moments when the visitors came back, which he thought is rare against England. He further said that the series is nicely set up, which gives them (India) what they need to do going forward.
“First of all, it was a great game of cricket and I am glad to be a part of such an exciting game. I feel there were a couple of moments when we came back. A team like England doesn’t let you do it every day, they were relentless and made us work hard for our runs. It sets up the series nicely and gives us what we need to do going forward,” Kohli said.
Speaking about the positives, Kohli was proud of the way his team fought and came close to the victory. He asserted that there is a lot to learn from the way the lower order batted in the first innings and said that to play well the team has to be positive.
“We need to focus on the positives and move forward. We can be proud as a team because of the way we started the tour over here (in England) and came close to the victory. There is a lot to learn from the way the lower order batted, especially Ishant and Umesh’s innings. They supported me well,” he added.
The skipper felt that his knock of 149 is his second best after the knock in Adelaide if seen from the team’s perspective. He stated that had India won the match it (Edgbaston knock) would have been the best and concluded by expressing his love for Test cricket.
“From the team’s point of view, my knock in the first innings is right up there, perhaps the second best after the knock in Adelaide. Had we won the match it would have been the best. It does feel good when you contribute in such a way. We need to focus and regroup before the next match. Test cricket is my
