Hyderabad [India], Feb. 13 : Highly satisfied with the fast bowlers after their exemplary performance in the lone Test against Bangladesh on a flat track in Hyderabad, Indian skipper Virat Kohli on Monday insisted that it was a bonus for them to have a bunch of pacers who can attack and pick wickets at any stage of the game.
India, the number one ranked Test side, defeated a spirited Bangladeshi side by a huge margin of 208 runs in Hyderabad Test on the last day, beating expectations of an early finish owing to the visitors' minnow status.
"It's always a good thing to have good fast bowlers in the team, especially in Test cricket. If you can have three-four seamers in your squad, who are attacking bowlers, can pick you wickets at any stage during a day, I think it's a bonus for any side," Kohli said in the post-match press conference.
"As you said, when we start going away from home, it's going to help us time. The more guys understand how to pick up wickets and how to set batsmen up, it's going to be very good for us when we go away from home because sides will know that there are no easy runs for the taking.
They have to work hard for the runs for the way our fast bowlers are bowling." "It gives us strength having our fast bowlers in rhythm and in confidence.
We always believe in the team, giving our bowlers more importance and telling them they are the match winners, which in true sense they are.
That's why I call them (bowlers) the match winners at any day," he added. Set 459 to win in four sessions, Bangladesh came out with a spirited performance, but eventually were bundled out for 250 just before the Tea break on Day 5.
Talking about the performance of the pacers in the Hyderabad Test, Kohli seemed highly satisfied and said, "Very good.
Credit to our bowlers, they were able to get result on this kind of a track. Considering that the wicket was very good to bat on, it took a bit of patience for us to get wickets during Bangladesh first innings.
I thought Umesh (Yadav), Bhuvi (Bhuvneshwar Kumar) and Ishant Sharma were brilliant in the first innings but Umesh stood out." "In the second innings, all three bowled really well but Ishant stood out.
I have said in the post-match that quality of our spinners allows our fast bowlers to attack because of the way spinners bowl and contain runs, the pacers can really attack as soon as it starts reverse swinging." "I thought today Ishant's spell was really good, he bowled with pace and had to put in effort to take wickets at that stage and he took both the set batsmen out.
That was really good for us," he added. With the win, Kohli has taken his unbeaten streak in Test matches to 19 and surpassed Sunil Gavaskar. Kohli also overcame Mohammad Azharuddin's record of winning 14 Tests under his captaincy. Kohli registered 15th Test victory. He also became the third most successful captain of India after Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Sourav Ganguly.
It was India's sixth consecutive series win in Test cricket. Talking about his unbeaten streak as a Test captain, Kohli said, "I don't think it's because of me. I mean everyone at the international level wants to do well." "We are playing as a team and that's been the difference in this team, if you see, you can say probably 2016, I scored a lot of runs but before that in 2015 as well, we won a lot of matches.
I didn't score many runs but the other guys stepped up and scored runs." "There are quite a few instances, where all the members of the team have stepped up at some stage or the other.
And that's why we stand where we are and having that streak is not down to 2-3 people, it is a combined effort of all the guys," he added.
India will now play Australia in the four-match series beginning from February 23 at Pune..
Source: ANI
