Kohli: Successful captaincy record by-product of team's quality

Vihari was undoubtedly India’s find of the West Indies Test series and the skipper Virat Kohli was effusive in his praise for the middle order batsman.

Virat Kohli became India's most successful Test captain with 28 wins.

Skipper Virat Kohli is impressed with Hanuma Vihari’s temperament stating that the youngster’s self belief spreads a sense of calm in the dressing room when he is out there in the middle.

Vihari was undoubtedly India’s find of the West Indies Test series as he emerged as the top run-getter with 289 runs that included a century and two half-centuries.

The captain was effusive in his praise for the Andhra batsman.

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“Hanuma was the stand-out batsman in this game. According to the surface, it was a top class innings from him. He is someone who is sure of his game and it shows. The dressing room feels calm when he’s batting. That’s a quality he possesses naturally,” Kohli said, at the post-match presentation ceremony.

“He (Hanuma) is willing to improve. He accepts and corrects his mistakes and plays with a lot of heart. Always up to doing anything for the team. It’s a very young career so far but he’s shown why he’s been backed and selected in this team,” said the No. 1 ranked Test batsman.

Kohli was happy in the manner the victory was achieved.

Vihari emerged as the top run-getter with 289 runs that included a century and two half-centuries. PHOTO: AP

 

“It was pretty comprehensive again. Played really good cricket over four days. Getting result in manner that you want is crucial. We were in some tricky situations. Took a lot of character from the boys collectively,” he said

Kohli, who won a record 28th Test as captain, attributed to the bowling unit, which has played its role in one victory after another.

“It’s (becoming the most successful Indian captain) a by-product of the quality team we have here. If we didn’t have the bowlers we have, these results wouldn’t have been possible.

“If you see these guys running in - (Mohammed) Shami’s spell today, (Jasprit) Bumrah after having a small niggle, Ishant (Sharma) bowling his heart out, (Ravindra) Jadeja bowling a long spell. Captaincy is just a C in front of your name. It’s the collective effort that matters,” the 30-year-old was modesty personified.

“For us, it’s just the start of the (World Test) Championship. Whatever’s happened in the past is irrelevant,” he said.

While the West Indies batting was shoddy, Kohli rated their pace attack as top-class and as good as any top team in world cricket.

“West Indies would know the areas they need to improve on. From bowling point of view, they were outstanding. Jason (Holder) and Kemar (Roach) were the standout bowlers. Their bowling attack with the red ball here is as lethal as anyone. If they get enough runs on the board, they’ll be a very dangerous opposition in Test cricket,” he concluded.