INDIA’S RISING TIDE MAKING WAVES
Kohli proud of his young guns Deflated Cook now no longer on the boil
VIRAT Kohli reflected on the “complete team performance” from India in this series as his side ended 2016 the world’s top-ranked Test nation and with a new generation of players flourishing under his leadership.
There is no respite for his team. England return for three one-day internationals and three Twenty20s, which start on January 15, before a one-off Test against Bangladesh in Hyderabad and a four-match series at home against Australia from February 23.
For Kohli it is a chance to continue the building of his team around young talents such as Karun Nair, who made a triple century in Chennai, KL Rahul, who scored 199, and off-spinner Jayant Yadav, who in Mumbai scored the first ever Test hundred by an Indian number nine.
He has two of the world’s best spinners in Ravi Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja as well as fast bowlers in Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav who outbowled England over the past six weeks.
“Whoever comes into the team he knows there is a certain benchmark for fitness in the team,” said Kohli, who was named man of the series for his 655 runs. “Of performance. Of mind-set. “We want players to be match-ready when they join the India team. You shouldn’t be spending a year in international cricket just learning what to do now. You lose a lot of time in that. And many players can’t face that pressure. But if you are prepared, if you are professional, if you know you have to work hard, if you know how to prepare for a game, you have a better chance of performing.
“Like KL Rahul. Like Karun Nair. You can see their performance for yourself. Especially Karun. Replacing a batsman like Ajinkya [Rahane], who has been performing consistently in the last two years in Test cricket. To walk in and score a triple hundred, there couldn’t have been a bigger statement. It shows that the next generation will keep getting smarter looking at others, learning how it is done.”
Kohli is determined to make this the fittest-ever India team and raise the standard of their fielding to match their bowling strength but knows the ultimate challenge lies overseas, although they are not due to travel outside Asia until visiting South Africa at the end of next year.
“Yeah, it’s been a memorable 2016 for the Indian cricket team and that’s something I am really proud of. To be part of such a good year and such a good season, especially with the team in transition is something we can be really proud of,” he said. “But this is just the foundation that’s been laid for us to carry on for lot many years. It’s just the beginnings. It’s nothing that we want to achieve, it’s not even a tiny bit of that.
“We understand where we want to go and hopefully the guys can keep putting this kind of effort and take the team where it belongs.”
Kohli’s own batting and his team’s performances will help arrest the slide in interest in Test cricket in India, where oneday cricket and the Indian Premier League dominate. Crowds were better than on previous England tours. — The Daily Telegraph
ENGLAND captain Alastair Cook heads home for Christmas with calls for his resignation ringing in his ears after what turned into an embarrassing subcontinental tour.
Cook flagged his possible departure before the five-Test tour of India and it was a question that became more pointed after England’s capitulation on the final day in Chennai.
England lost six wickets for just 15 runs in a final-session collapse to lose the series 4-0, after they also finished the preceding tour of Bangladesh by folding in the final Test.
Cook’s England threw away 10 wickets in a single session as they slumped to their first Test defeat to the hosts in Dhaka.
Cook admitted it had been a “frustrating” year as he was left ticking off the low points of his captaincy following the defeat in Chennai.
“I think Australia 5-0 [2013-2014] was as low as I could go and Sri Lanka as well at Headingley [2014]. We could list a few if you really want,” he said.
“I can’t fault the effort in the dressingroom. We’ve stayed together as a team. Naturally when things go badly, things can break up.
“But the guys have been brilliant in committing to the cause. We just haven’t been good enough to put India under pressure for long periods.”
Many now expect Cook to relinquish the captaincy in favour of fellow batsman Joe Root, with England heading into a five-month Test break and an Ashes series in Australia looming at the end of next year.
“End the speculation. He is telling us that the captaincy has tired him out mentally and he has had enough,” said former England batsman Geoffrey Boycott.
“If that is the case then he should go, which would give Root seven Test matches in England to get used to the job before taking the team to Australia.” Cook led England to a 2-1 series win in South Africa early this year against a team then ranked number one in the world, but things went downhill from there.
England were held to a 2-2 draw against Pakistan at home in August and then lost in Dhaka to split the series 1-1 with Bangladesh.
But India proved the nadir as England twice lost by an innings after posting more than 400 in their first innings.
“It’s been a frustrating year and to lose that many times with the players we’ve got is disappointing,” said Cook.
“Played some good cricket at times and played some pretty average cricket. We haven’t been very good when we’ve been behind in games,” said Cook.
England slipped from second to fifth in the latest world rankings led by India. — AFP