Our bench strength is extremely strong, says Kohli
AHMEDABAD: India’s supremely talented bench strength has made skipper Virat Kohli quite confident that the team would have a relatively smooth ride when the transition period dawns upon it in the next few years.
With the rise of several young players like Washington Sundar, Mohammed Siraj and Rishabh Pant, India has been on a roll both at home and abroad. On Saturday, the side humbled England 3-1 after clinching the fourth and final Test by an innings and 25 runs here.
“Our bench strength is extremely strong and that is a good sign for Indian cricket. When the transition happens, the standards won’t fall and Rishabh and Washy’s partnership showed exactly that in a crucial juncture of the match,” Kohli said.
After notching up victories in the second and third Tests, India won the fourth match inside three days. Opener Rohit Sharma scored 161 in the first innings of the second Test and the skipper felt that the knock changed the complexion of the series alongside seasoned spinner Ravichandran Ashwin’s performance of 32 wickets.
“Rohit’s knock was the defining moment in Chennai, and Ashwin has been our most bankable player over the years. So, they have been our best players this series.
“Now we can accept that the World Test Championship final, which was a distraction in New Zealand in 2020, is now a reality,” Kohli added.
Ashwin, who ended the series with 32 wickets and a century, was named man of the series and the spinner was delighted to qualify for the WTC final in England.
“The fact that we qualified for the WTC final is very important. The intensity was low after Chennai, despite the high in Australia. Every time there was a challenging time in the series, someone put their hand up, so this series win is right up there,” Ashwin said.
Ashwin also lauded Pant, saying that it is unfair to compare the young wicketkeeper batsman to legends of the game.