VIRAT KOHLI FINISH OF THE MATCH IN STYLE AND WRAP UP 208 RUNS WIN

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India put up a commanding performance, as they beat Bangladesh by 208 runs in the only test match played in Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad. Virat Kohli once again magnificent with his performance, as he hit double ton and claims the Man Of the Match. 

Kohli: “It was a good wicket to bat on, a good toss to win. Putting up massive runs on the board in the first innings always helps. The opposition batted well in the first innings. The plan was to get into good habits like we did in the past season as well and more importantly we have a big series coming up as well. The bowlers got back into their groove before an important series and all in all a good performance. The track didn’t offer much and the bowlers found ways to get batsmen out and this was no different. The guys stuck it out, worked really hard for the wickets, had to be patient at times, did not get overexcited which was really good to see. Ishant’s spell in the second innings was outstanding, bowling with the soft ball and getting it to reverse at pace either way was really good to to see. If you have two world class spinners in your side, you can tell the fast bowlers to come and attack. The partnership between the spinners and the pacers is very heartening to watch. This game has been a revelation for us. Bhuvi bowled beautifully with the old ball which is positive for us. (On his form) It has been coming off nicely. Last year was something that I did not quite expect but it did. All I do is take every game as a fresh game, go in with the same mindset, back my skills and execute them but it is very important for me to not get ahead of myself. I am very happy with where my game stands at the moment and would like to continue this way for my team. I thought England was the biggest team of this season but after we won 4-0, there is a lot of expectations on us. The way we played our cricket, we would like to continue it in the future as well. All our minds and hearts are on that series already and we would like to start solidly in Pune. The crowd was outstanding over the five days. I have said it earlier as well, the crowd has always been coming in to watch us play. That pushes the players as well and it pushes us to play our brand of cricket. I hope they enjoyed our brand of cricket.”

India’s bowlers take 2 sessions of Day 5 to bowl a gutsy Bangladesh out and win the Only #IndvBan Test by 208 runs https://t.co/qT8sbMpOx8 pic.twitter.com/iEZ2r3h0bY

— ICC (@ICC) February 13, 2017

Rahim: “I thought in the past as well we have created plenty of opportunities but we never held on from there. It was quite tough out there, their bowlers have a lot of variety not just with the spin but also with their pacers. Even our number eight, nine and ten have showed a lot of character. We can learn a lot from India, how their lower order contributed against England. We batted over 100 overs and Mehedi in the first innings batted and bowled well. We have learnt a lot and would like to use it against Sri Lanka in our next series. Our fielding let us down and there is scope of improvement there. We have to impress for all the five days. Unfortunately we couldn’t do it now but hopefully in the future we would be able to do it.”

Anil Kumble: This was a very good surface to bat on, we had to literally bowl 200+ overs to secure 20 wickets, to bowl more than 120 overs in first innings and then come back and bowl another 100 overs, it was brilliant. I expected this track to break up a bit more on the fourth and fifth day, but nothing like that happened, it held on – great effort from our bowlers. When we have a long home season, we need to look after the bowlers. It’s a luxury to have 5 bowlers, but the batsmen have been very good right throughout the nine Tests. I was pleased for (Wriddhiman) Saha to get a hundred here. Even Jayant (Yadav) showed good skills with the bat against England. We were not worried about the surface in any of the Tests over the ongoing home season, just wanted to get the job done. It was a very satisfying win, Bangladesh have come along really well in recent times, it was a good victory in the end. We are now looking forward to face Australia, it will be a tough 4-Test series, really pleased with all the things we are doing, the top-order, middle and lower order- everyone has chipped in, it augurs well for our future.
Ishant Sharma: I think when the ball is reversing, I know where to bowl. I use the crease as well. We are the no. 1 side and we have to show. We are playing against Bangladesh and have to show them why we are the no. 1 side in the world. You have to be rude in some manners and that is what we are doing. It was tremendous to see Bhuvi and Umesh hit the right lengths. As you said the wicket was flat, you have to bowl in the right areas. It was pretty difficult wicket to bowl on. In these kind of wickets, you need to be patient and bowl in the right areas to get wickets.

Pujara: It’s my 4th wedding anniversary and really proud that the boys finished it early so that I can go back and meet my wife. I have enjoyed playing at this ground, got my first Test hundred here against New Zealand and then got a double hundred against Australia. Even in this game, I missed out on a hundred in the first innings but batted well in the second innings. Recently, I have been missing out on hundreds and getting out in 70s and 80s but overall have been in good form and playing well. Look forward to convert these scores into hundreds. It all started from the Duleep trophy, before that I was getting out in 70s and 80s but was not getting a big score. Once I got a double hundred there, I got my confidence and concentration back; my footwork started moving and from there on everything started coming along. Got some runs and then carried it in the New Zealand and England series. Very happy with the way things went.