Named Test captain in MS Dhoni's absence, here's how Virat Kohli addressed the team
Mumbai: Team India captain Virat Kohli on Thursday revealed a pep talk he gave to the Indian team during the Adelaide Test against Australia, where he led the country for the first time.
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Kohli was roped in as captain of the team after the then captain MS Dhoni suffered an injury. India, chasing a target of 363, fought hard in that Test, but went on to lose by 48 runs, after having been bowled out for 315.
"Whatever target they give us tomorrow, we're going for it. If there's any hesitation or anyone wants to oppose it, you tell me right now, or we go to our rooms knowing we're going to meet the target.
"So it hurt a lot not to cross the line, but it gave us a lot of confidence as a team that we could win anywhere," the 29-year-old Kohli said at the CNN-News18 Indian of the Year 2017 Award event recently.
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After having scored 115 in the first innings, Kohli followed that up with a well-played 141 in the second. He also spoke on that particular innings.
"There have been so many, but purely in terms of the transition, the second innings hundred at Adelaide where we almost won the Test match.,” he stated.
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Later, in December 2014, Kohli took charge as the permanent Test skipper after Dhoni announced retirement from Tests. Earlier this year, he was promoted as the captain for ODIs and T20s, too, thereby being the captain for all three formats.
Team India could equal Australia’s record of nine consecutive series victory with a win over Sri Lanka in the third Test starting on Saturday. After having drawn the first Test, the hosts bounced back strongly to beat the Islanders by an innings and 239 runs.
Back in 2005, the Aussies had enjoyed being unbeaten in nine consecutive series, a record which went on till 2008.
