India skipper Virat Kohli on Wednesday celebrated the 203-run thrashing of England in the third Test by dedicating the win to the flood victims in the southern state of Kerala.
Coming back from a 0-2 deficit, India put up a clinical all-round performance at Trent Bridge to deflate England, who could only blame their dismal batting effort for the loss.
“We, as a team, want to dedicate this win to the flood victims in Kerala. This is our bit we can do as the Indian cricket team. A tough time there,” Kohli said at the post-match presentation, where he was adjudged the Man-of-the-Match for his knocks of 97 and 103.
“The victory was much-needed in this series and in context, and to have been clinical in all departments is a victory for the entire dressing room. A complete Test for us. There was no panic, and we were outplayed in only one game out of the last five, and that was Lord’s,” he added.
The 29-year-old praised his batsmen for putting runs on the board that gave his bowlers, including the injured off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, the cushion to attack the in-form English batting.
“We dominated in this game because we put runs on the board and then the bowlers did well, they were waiting and ready, even Ashwin did well with his injury,” he said.
“The bowling group was ready to take 20 wickets again, and I’m glad the batsmen stepped up. So we, as batsmen, did well to give them a cushion for the bowlers to go hard.
“Even the slips did well, and this mix of all skills couldn’t have come at a better time,” he added.
With the win, the visitors reduced the lead to 1-2 in the five-match rubber, but Kohli is confident that his team has the ability to turn the tables and make it 3-2.
“We definitely believe we can come back from 0-2 to 3-2, we just need to keep moving forward, keep winning. We wouldn’t be 2-1 if we didn’t believe.”
“The respect and the belief in the change room is important, and one must keep wanting to win. We need to bring out the impact performances in the next two Tests as well,” he added.
