England players cheering after winning the toss motivated us to do better: Virat Kohli

Team India completed another convincing and quite easy a win in the series to take a 2-0 lead after three Tests. England having won the toss were bowled out under 300 in the first inning and that took away the advantage from them. The Indian lower order also stuck in the meat with a hook and with No. 7, 8 and 9 scoring half centuries they overhauled the English total to in fact get a 134-run lead.

Coming back to bowl in the second inning, the spin trio along with both the pacers executed their plans really well and that really didn’t give the England batsmen a chance to breathe easy. The chase of 103 runs was not big and with runs flowing smoothly out of Parthiv Patel’s bat, there was no point where the Indian batsmen felt the pressure. He got to his half century and stayed unbeaten to take the team home with skipper Virat Kohli at the other end.

Talking in the post-match presentation Virat emphasized on the point that they aren’t playing on turning tracks and despite that, the Indian spinners have bowled really well to put the visitors in a spot of bother all the time. “None of the pitches have been turners. We’ve been playing very good cricket and gaining confidence. That’s evident on the field. Getting them for 280 was a boost. Amazing contribution by the lower order. Puts the opposition on the back foot once you get a lead of 134. Professional from Parthiv to finish it off.”

The English team was quite excited having won the toss and decided to bat first, Virat said, that very moment they decided to make it a point that toss being a major determining factor in the games is proved an unrealistic claim. “I was surprised by the cheer after winning the toss to be honest. You still have to go out there and play good cricket. That motivated us actually to show that the toss doesn’t matter for this team.” He added.

Praising the lower order for their batting efforts the Indian captain said, “First time in Indian history that Nos 7, 8, 9 have struck fifties. That’s a brilliant stat. We always thought we needed more resistance from the lower order. Ashwin has obviously been a champion, the no. 1 all-rounder in world cricket. Jadeja is in the top 10 as well. But for Jayant to have that kind of maturity, he’s been a revelation.”

The Indian pacers haven’t quite been credited for their efforts but they have stood up every time the ball is thrown their way, new or old and have also pocketed crucial wickets. “They’ve been standing out every game. Umesh and Shami have rushed their batsmen. When you can bounce them out and intimidate them with the ball, it always pleases you as a captain. They can get you a couple of wickets in the middle when the situation is tough. Shami feels the injury has been a blessing in disguise. He’s become more hard-working. He feels stronger. When the bowler is in that sort of a zone, you have to let him be. He’s been a champion for us in the past as well.”

“Really happy with the way the guys have stood up, especially Jadeja with the bat and the fast bowlers. Felt bad for Karun getting run out. But he’s a good batsman and will be looking forward to the next match. We are in a good space and will look to enjoy the little break we have now.” Virat concluded saying

Ravindra Jadeja who scored a 90 in the first inning and also picked 4 wickets in the match was awarded man of the match for his performance. He said, “I’m very happy with my performance, especially with the bat. When I went out there, I was looking to play as long as I can because ball was not coming on. I knew if I can play 40 balls, I can convert. Knew I can easily score runs later on. I was thinking that I won’t take chance against off-spinner. Wanted to take chance against leg-spinner. Unfortunately the ball came slow and didn’t hit the middle. Next time I reach 90, I’ll be careful and play normal shots.”

Talking about his bowling and how they had to work on specific plans with there being no real help from the surface as such Jaddu said, “There was nothing for spinners. I was just looking to bowl in the right area and not to give them boundaries. Had a chat with Virat about trying to bowl 5 maiden overs. Luckily I got Ben Stokes in the first innings and Joe Root in the second.”

The English skipper was clearly disappointed having lost the Test despite batting first. They were also dealt a severe blow with the injury to Haseeb Hameed who will now fly home and won’t take part in the series any further. Alastair Cook said: “It was a good toss to win. After getting bowled out for 280, you don’t win too many games in this part of the world. We were behind the eight-ball. We had a little bit of a sniff with them at 200/6 but they managed a good total. Frustrating not to cross 300 of late. Need to improve on that if we have to win games of cricket here.”

The skipper praised allrounder Ben Stokes for his brilliant performance with the bat as well as the ball. “He’s [Stokes] a brilliant player. One of those all-rounders who balances the team. Allows you to play an extra bowler. Only going to get better and better.”

Cook also said that though Hameed won’t play the last two Tests he will be a part of the team once he is fit and ready to go again. “To play like that with his injured finger, shows courage and bravery [talking about Hameed]. Credit to India, they’ve outplayed us. Few days off now so we can go our separate ways a bit. Lots of English faces here, great to have that support. Hameed has to go home unfortunately and have a plate put in his hand. There’s no doubt we’ll see him again in an England shirt.”