Kohli wants India to maintain high standards

NEW DELHI: India thrashed Bangladesh inside three days in the opening Test to inch closer to their 12th successive home series victory but skipper Virat Kohli is only interested in maintaining high standards and not in flattering numbers.

Table-topping India have now won all six Tests since the World Test Championship kicked in, including a 3-0 whitewash against South Africa last month to record their 11th consecutive Test series victory at home.

Asked if his side could dominate the game like the Australian team did in the recent past, Kohli said: “The numbers and the records are there for everyone to see, that remains in the books. We haven’t really focused on it.

“Our focus has been on taking Indian cricket higher and higher, to keep the standards up and motivate the next lot of players to come and do the same.

“The motivation has been right, the intent has been right, we just have to push in that direction. We don’t care about numbers at all.”

Kohli was visibly encouraging his team mates on Friday.

Dismissed for a second-ball duck, the home captain was seen gesturing from the dressing room to opener Mayank Agarwal to first push for a double century and then a triple hundred.

“I know how much time it took me to get those big hundreds. I know the importance of getting big runs,” said the batting stalwart.

“It’s important as a senior batter to let them know that ‘you need to focus, they need to keep going’.

“I want the guys to not make the mistakes that I made as a youngster, and learn quickly so they can be a world class player very soon.”

Mominul Haque began his tenure as Bangladesh Test captain with a resounding defeat and the task would only get tougher in the pink-ball Test in Kolkata.

Apart from winning the toss, hardly anything went right for Bangladesh, who could not bowl out India in their only innings and managed totals of 150 and 213 at the Holkar Cricket Stadium.

The 28-year-old found positives in Abu Jayed’s lionhearted bowling effort and Mushfiqur Rahim’s fighting knocks in both innings.

“We take quite a few positives, especially the bowling of Abu Jayed who picked four wickets. In batting, Mushfiqur was superb with the bat in both innings. Liton Das did well too,” he said.

“The top order batsmen faced a challenge a very good bowling unit. We just have to handle the first 15-20 overs.”