Chennai: Indian skipper Virat Kohli after an emphatic victory at Melboure Test today said that the job is not yet done and stated that the team wants to win the last Test in Sydney as well.
“We are not going to stop here. This win will give us more confidence and we will play more positively in Sydney. I think we have been really smart in all the departments in the two matches that we have won. That is the reason we have at least retained the trophy but the job is not done yet. It’s not finished at all. We want to win the last Test match as well, if an opportunity comes our way. We don’t want to be complacent. We are all but ready for the final Test match,” he said.
India won the Boxing day Test at Melbourne by 137 runs. Kohli also became the only Indian captain after Bishan Singh Bedi to win a Test in Melbourne. Having scored 443 batting first, India dismissed Australian for 151. Despite taking a huge 292 run lead and with the pitch deteriorating, India decided to bat again without enforcing a follow-on, asked about that decision the skipper said they wanted to bat third on the pitch.
“We were pretty clear that we wanted to bat third on this pitch and wanted to get more runs as the pitch was only getting worse. I always felt the pitch had enough for the bowlers and a score around 400 will be extremely tough for Australia to chase down.”
Kohli also praised his fast-bowlers, especially Bumrah who took a career-best 6 for 33 in the first innings. He finished the match by scalping nine wickets. “Bumrah has been brilliant for us. The three seamers have broken a record for the highest number of wickets in a calendar year which is amazing for the pace trio. He (Bumrah) was unlucky not to get wickets in Perth. The way he bowled, it was almost criminal that he didn’t reap the rewards. The team management calmed him down and wickets for him came in bunches in this Test and he won us the Test match here at the MCG. I certainly feel proud as a captain to watch these guys bowling in partnerships, nobody is trying to outdo another guy, it’s all about what the team wants and what the kind of breakthroughs team wants. That’s why they are so special.”
“Mayank Agarwal was amazing, he showed great character. His composure was excellent. Pujara was brilliant too. No one is looking for a personal milestone. Vihari played out the first 15 overs against the new ball which was pretty helpful too. With Rohit making runs at number 6, it played out extremely well for us. It is all about taking pride in your roles which you’re given. We have to play good cricket to be in the position we are in right now. Nothing is to going to distract us from wanting us to winning that last Test match. We have never been in this position and now is the time to express ourselves even more,” added the skipper.
Jasprit Bumrah was adjudged as the Man-of-the-match after taking nine wickets in the match. “It is a great feeling. Be it the Boxing day, be it any other day, I always wanted to play Test cricket and I made my debut against South Africa in January this year. I made my (ODI) debut against Australia in 2016, so to play Test cricket here was a big deal for me. I am really happy to contribute to the team’s success. My aim is to always focus on consistency. We train very hard and we are used to bowling a lot of overs in Ranji Cricket, so the body is doing well. My focus is on the next Test now. Coming to Australia has been a different experience as well. The start has been good, and hopefully, I will keep getting better,” he said.