Indian captain Virat Kohli who ended up 2018, scoring most runs in the Test matches has also shown his determination as of the captain of Indian cricket team as he becomes the first Indian captain to win a Test series in Australia.
With the win, Kohli also surpassed former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly as the most successful Indian captain in overseas conditions in Tests format with 12 wins to his name.
Indian skipper never failed to impress the fans with his bat as he topped the list of players scoring most runs in 2018 by scoring 1322 runs with an average of 55.08. This time he caught the limelight for leading team India for a maiden series win against Australia in Australia, since India began touring the country over seven decades ago.
Kohli referred to the series win as the greatest achievement of his cricketing career while also expressing his joy at leading this unit. “Only one word to say, I’m proud. To lead these players is an honour and a privilege. They make the captain look good. Definitely deserve to enjoy this moment. By far this is my best achievement. Has to be on top of the pile,” he said in the post-match ceremony.
He continued, “When we won the World Cup (in 2011), I was a young player. I saw the others getting emotional. This series will give us a different identity as a team. What we’ve been able to achieve is something to be really proud of.”
The skipper went on to praise Man of the Match and Man of the Series Pujara for a fantastic series and youngster Mayank Agarwal for stepping up at the top of the order. “Want to give a special mention to Pujara. He’s one guy always willing to accept things. He’s the nicest man around. Special mention to Mayank Agarwal too. To come in on Boxing Day and play like that against a high quality attack. Someone like Rishabh (Pant) as well, coming into his own and dominating attacks,” said the winning captain.
The 33-year-old Indian captain also praised his side’s fast bowling attack led by Jasprit Bumrah, who played the main card in India’s 137 run win over Australia in the MCG Test.
India held a strong position in the Sydney Test match by declaring their first innings scoring 622 runs with the loss of 7 wickets. Australia in response lost their 10 wickets scoring 300 runs after which Kohli enforced the follow-on. India and Australia played out a draw in the fourth Test after continuous rainfall over the large part of Day 4 and Day 5 affected proceedings.
