Virat Kohli scored 149 and 51 in two innings during the first Test. (Source: AP)
India captain Virat Kohli said that his hundred at Edgbaston holds no significance as England beat India by 31 runs in the first Test on Saturday. “When the focus is on the larger picture, these things don’t matter,” a dejected Kohli said after the match.
“Back in the day I used to think about playing in different conditions, different countries, but when you become captain it’s about taking your team across the line, ” Kohli told BBC.
“You are able to bat longer than you would’ve done otherwise and the ability you have inside just unleashes because you’re not focused on your personal milestones,” the Indian captain added.
Kohli was the lone warrior for team India as he made 51 during India’s chase of 194. In the first innings, he scored a fantastic 149 to bring India back into the match. On Saturday, it was Kohli’s wicket which turned the match in England’s favour as India went down from 141/7 to 162 all out.
However, the Indian captain remained optimistic about India’s chances in the five-match Test series and said, “Glad to be a part of such an exciting Test match; there were a couple of moments when we came back. A team like England doesn’t let you do it everyday, they were relentless and they made us work very hard for our runs. It sets up the series nicely and gives us what we need to do going forward.”
“Our shot selection could have been better. We definitely need to apply ourselves better with the bat, but England came back superbly. We need to take the positives and move forward. We can be proud as a team to start against England in England the way we have,” Kohli observed.
Meanwhile, off-spinner R Ashwin, who had a fine outing with the ball addressed the media after the match and said that the pitch was a tough one to bat on.
“It was quite a tough pitch to bat on. I don’t think batsmen from both sides were able to make runs with a lot of freedom barring the partnership between Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow in the first innings, and then Virat Kohli from our side. It has been quite a struggle that way so I think we need to give batsmen some space,” he said.