Kohli says crowds make a difference
India skipper Virat Kohli said their emphatic 317run win over England was an example of the grit and determination of the young Indian side.
“It is a perfect game for us. Our application with the bat was outstanding in this game. The conditions were challenging for both sides, but we showed more application with the bat. We didn’t panic out there looking at the turn and bounce, we showed grit, got into the game and scored 600 runs in the match. We know our bowlers are going to do the job for us if we put up these runs in home conditions,” said Kohli.
The Chennai win also ended Kohli’s four-match losing streak which began in Wellington in February 2020. Kohli said the toss that he won wouldn’t have mattered much in the game. “If you looked at our second innings, we still applied ourselves and got almost 300. It wasn’t unfair if the toss went either way. Both teams should be in the game from the first session onwards, whether it is on spinning to seaming tracks, and that exactly was the case in this game,” he added.
When the opening Test was played behind closed doors, the hosts sorely missed spectators. Kohli said the crowds make a big difference. “When fans are behind you, you push more as a team. It was a bit strange in the first game to be playing at home without the crowd in the stands. We were pretty flat on the first two days over there to be pretty honest, myself included, didn’t pick up energy on the field. But from the second innings onwards in the first game, we picked up and were on the money in terms of our body language.”
Known as ‘knowledgeable cricket fans’, the Chepauk spectators have drawn a lot of praise over the years. It was Kohli’s turn to acknowledge it on Tuesday.
“The Chennai crowd is very intelligent, they understand their cricket really well. In a 15-20 minute period, where the bowler needs the support of the crowd, it is my responsibility to involve everyone and bring in the crowd. If I am running in to bowl in this heat, I want people to motivate me,” he added.