Virat Kohli, Ravichandran Ashwin, KL Rahul lauded by Anil Kumble ahead of New Zealand Test series

Kohli, Ashwin, Rahul lauded by Kumble ahead of NZ Test series

India’s head coach Anil Kumble cannot stop praising his players after their victory against West Indies at the Caribbean. Kumble particularly acknowledged India Test skipper Virat Kohli’s maturity as captain as well as applauded Ravichandran Ashwin’s improvement as a batsman. He also praised the youngster KL Rahul for his performance at the top-order, who took over the role due to Murali Vijay’s injury during the West Indies tour. Under the guidance of Kumble, India saw series victory against West Indies in his first assignment. However, he was unable to provide India the No. 1 Test ranking as the second and final Test headed to draw. Now that India have huge schedule of Tests at home starting from September 22, Kumble has high expectations from other players as well. Full Cricket Scorecard: India vs New Zealand 1st Test at Kanpur

Kumble is mighty impressed by Kohli’s dedication and admits he is blown away by the same, speaking to cricket.com.au, “The last time I saw him closely was in 2012 (with Royal Challengers Bangalore). And from there to 2016, there has been a massive difference for the good. I have not seen anyone that professional in terms of looking after his fitness, his work ethic and in terms of his preparation. He wants to be the best and he leads from the front. He was brilliant on the (West Indies) tour.” Kohli secured his Test status with double-century in first Test of West Indies tour and paved the way for India’s victory. Apart from his double-century, Kohli also secured 168-run stand for fifth wicket with Ashwin. In terms of rankings, Ashwin has ranked to No.3 as Test all-rounder.

Speaking on Ashwin, Kumble added, “There was a conscious decision from the management to push him up the order. Ashwin has shown in his career that he is capable of batting higher up in Test match cricket. Credit to him, he grabbed it by scoring two hundreds. You can’t ask for a better all-rounder in the team where he goes, gets hundreds, then picks up a five-for and wins matches. This home season, you want him to play all those 13 Tests and pick up tons of wickets.” ALSO READ: India announce squad for Test series vs New Zealand

Rahul, who notched up 158 in the second Test and also got his maiden unbeaten Twenty20 International (T20I) century, was equally praised by Kumble, “(Rahul) has been brilliant,” Kumble said. “In the West Indies, he came in as a replacement for Vijay and seized that opportunity.  In his short career, he has shown that he can score hundreds in Australia, Sri Lanka, West Indies and what was really heartening was that he could adapt to T20 and score a hundred. “It goes to show that he has the game and he also has the mind to adjust at this young age. It really augurs well for Indian cricket.”