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India vs West Indies 2016: Virat Kohli terms 1st Test win as ‘perfect finish’

Kohli scored a 200 in the first innings, and was the catalyst behind India's innings victory over West Indies

India beat West Indies by an innings and 92 runs in the first Test at Antigua © PTI
India beat West Indies by an innings and 92 runs in the first Test at Antigua © PTI

After leading his side to a win over West Indies by an innings and 92 runs in the first Test at Antigua, Indian skipper Virat Kohli has hailed his players and termed the result as a ‘perfect finish’. Right from the start of Day 1 till the close, the visitors were well on top. Having won the toss, Kohli had no second thoughts about batting first. He led the side from the front, scoring his first double century. Century from Ravichandran Ashwin and half-centuries from Shikhar Dhawan and Amit Mishra meant India declared their innings at 566 for 8. And with the ball, they wrecked havoc, bowling out the hosts for 243 and 231 respectively. FULL CRICKET SCORECARD: India vs West Indies 2016, 1st Test at Antigua

Speaking after the game about his side’s dominating win, Kohli was quoted by cricbuzz as saying, “If you look at it logically, that’s probably the perfect finish, which every team looks for. The seamers usually dominate the first innings when you play away from home. The wicket tires out on day four and five. That’s when the spinners come into play. In the first innings, spinners are taking couple of the breakthrough wickets.”

“In the second innings fast bowlers are doing this for you and then the spinners will open it up again. I think it was a wonderful partnership bowling by all our bowlers in the two innings. And the batsmen as well.” ALSO READ: IND vs WI 2016, 1st Test, Day 4: Video Highlights of day’s play

“We have spoken about one thing, that we have the skill and ability to declare innings more often than not rather than struggling to get to 350 without lower order. So that’s the kind of mindset we need to play with. You know when you start off with five batsmen, obviously you need to take more responsibilities.”

“I think they are all good enough to do that. As I’ve said before we are not at a stage now where we need to come and improve. We should be ready enough in international cricket to start dominating Test matches and win those crucial situations and sessions. That’s how we become a better team.” ALSO READ: India register biggest innings victory outside Asia

“If you think we are going to keep learning every series, learning every game, we will never get that hunger and that mindset to win games from difficult situations. We need to challenge ourselves a little bit, which this team has been willing to do and which is a wonderful sign. The way we finished the Test, it all panned out pretty nicely.”

One area which intrigued the fans and experts alike was Kohli’s field placing. Speaking on that, he said, “The one thing that I try to do is think as a batsman, which is very important. You can read a batsman’s body language and figure out where he is trying to score his runs. Unless a guy is playing shots all round the wicket, because then it is very difficult to set a field.” ALSO READ: Kohli, Ashwin mastermind India to an innings and 92-run win

“But if someone is predominantly looking to set up, get in and score his runs one side of the wicket or not play a particular stroke then you pick up these things and set a field accordingly to make him do that. With Ashwin bowling today, we had long on back and a fielder at midwicket so that the guy looks for a single.”

“As a batsman I know that if someone is trying to set me up for that, I will be hesitant in playing that shot, because the ball could stop and you could end up playing the ball in the air to a fielder who is in your face and can even take a half chance. It’s all about getting into the batsman’s head and creating that pressure to make him make that mistake.”

“That’s what Test cricket is all about. It’s not just about what’s happening with the bat or ball on the pitch, it’s about what’s happening in the head as well. It’s about how you create momentum for the bowler and the environment around a batsman where he makes that mistake. That’s where Test cricket is very different from other formats of the game, which I don’t think people realise too much. That’s the challenge for any cricketer in this format, to overcome this and do well. That’s why it’s so testing and so demanding of the players.”

Kohli also recalled few moments within the match which changed the outcome the game. “In the first innings four wickets each to Ishant and Shami, but the way Ishant bowled and Mishi (Amit Mishra) picking up those two wickets in the end also play an important role.”

“Otherwise, you have to play the guys who have bowled a bulk of the bowling and tire them out more for those final two wickets. There is a guy who takes the wickets at the end, finishes off the game and helps the other bowlers stay fresh. Someone like Ishant maintained the pressure, the run rate did not go beyond two in the first innings.”

“All those things count massively in the course of the game. This morning, Umesh getting one wicket for us, Ishant (got) an important breakthrough last evening. These are the moments that don’t get much attention but they are very important to winning a Test match.”

Despite such a daunting win, the Indian skipper believed there is always scope for improvement. “I think a couple or areas with the bat we can improve especially is not losing wickets close to the breaks. I think we did that three times. Pujara was one, Shikhar was the other, just before tea and then myself soon after lunch on Day 2.”

“See, these are the things, which if we have enough runs on the board and start scoring quickly, you tend to ignore these things. But I have that it in my mind pretty strongly because every team will want to challenge you strongly and will want to dry those runs out. So, you have to capitalise those important moments so that the team can’t lose momentum and start scoring runs again.”

“We’ve lost wickets in those moments previously. That’s one area I still think need to tighten up a little bit more if you want to be in complete control of things in all the sessions that we play. We’ve done really well in this game, but that’s one area we have addressed before and we certainly want to improve on.”

Finally, Kohli spoke about the reaction of Anil Kumble, for whom this was the first match as head coach. “There was nothing out of the ordinary. Having played for so long, I think he understands how the players feel about a victory. He congratulated everyone and gave special mention to the guys who made important contributions in the game.”

“Might not be seen too much but those important breakthroughs, important moments are very crucial for the team to win. He understands that very nicely and he was obviously very happy with the victory. It’s a great start for him. First game as coach and we end up winning by an innings. Very happy all round.”

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