Visakhapatnam: Virat Kohli was declared the Man of the Match for scoring 248 runs in two innings of the second Test against England in Vizag. Kohli scored 167 in the first innings to lead India to a mammoth 455, the skipper top scored for India again in the second innings, as he made 81 to set England a daunting target of 405.
In the post-match presentation ceremony, Kohli shared that the plan after winning the toss was to score as many runs as possible in the first innings. The batsman also said that he enjoys batting in Vizag.
"It's been a lucky ground for me and it remains a special ground, I get a similar feel like Adelaide. You want to play exciting cricket because so many people come to watch. They help you through tough situations.”
“We wanted to make sure we batted five sessions, get 450+ which is what we did, and then the bowlers were always on top.”
England put up a brave fight, as they batted for almost 100 overs in the second innings to save the match. The visitors made Indian bowlers to work hard for the win. However, the skipper feels it was always going to be a tough task for the visitors.
“Scoreboard pressure really counts. There wasn't much happening in the wicket, but the batsmen succumbed,” added Kohli.
The captain was full of praise for debutant Jayant Yadav, who contributed both with the bat and the ball.
“The biggest positives are how the fast bowlers bowled and Jayant's debut. It's always priceless those contributions and it speaks volumes of his character. I'm really happy for him. For a young guy to come in and tell me the field he wants, it shows he knows what he is doing,” said Kohli.
Indian may have taken a 1-0 lead in the series, but Captain Kohli is in no mood to relax.
“We've been playing some really good cricket; we don't want to be complacent but don't want to be desperate, either. We respect England,” said the skipper.
