Indian skipper Virat Kohli says his team never lost faith in itself despite the criticism that came with consecutive Test losses to South Africa. He credited this belief for the turnaround that gave India a win in the Test series.
When things don’t go well, we as a team don’t say ‘oh we should have done this’ or ‘we should have done that’. That’s the easiest thing to do. I can say or write anything about anyone.Virat Kohli, Captain, Indian Cricket Team
India beat the Proteas by 63 runs in the final test of the three test series but lost the series 2-1.
Kohli termed the win in the third Test as a massive milestone for his team and said it could help the side win more matches in overseas conditions in the upcoming series.
India maintained their unbeaten record at the Wanderers, dismissing South Africa for 177 to pull one back in the three-Test series. On a green top wicket, India played only five full-time batsmen and a five-pronged pace attack. Then they opted to bat first after winning the toss and yet managed to etch out a win.
Dean Elgar and Hashim Amla put on 119 runs for the second wicket and South Africa were placed at 124/1 at one stage. The Proteas though collapsed afterwards and succumbed to the pressure of the fourth-innings chase.
We got stuck into them in the second innings at Cape Town as well. Then they had a collapse in Centurion in the first innings. So we knew that if we get a couple of wickets the same thing could be repeated.Virat Kohli, Captain, Indian Cricket Team
The India skipper said that they were hardly ruffled by Elgar and Amla's stand.
At all stages I was thinking if we were in this position, and if we lose a wickets, that suddenly makes things difficult for the next batsmen to coming in to bat. We knew that when they lose a couple of wickets, guys coming in are going to be nervous because this is Johannesburg.Virat Kohli, Captain, Indian Cricket Team
Now the two teams look forward to the six-match ODI series starting in Durban on 1 February.
Video Editor: Vishal Sharma
(With inputs from PTI)
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