New Delhi: India captain Virat Kohli on Thursday heaped praise of bowlers after their 50-run win over Australia in the second match of the ongoing ODI series.
India defended 252 runs in emphatic style by restricting the Aussies to 202 at Kolkata's historic Eden Gardens.
The match witness chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav becoming the first Indian spinner to take a hat-trick in ODIs.
"We did not feel like we had enough at the break. But we knew if we had a good start we have a good chance of defending it. We knew if we don't take wickets it would be difficult. To be honest, the wicket was not easy to bat on throughout the day," he said.
But 22-year-old's cause was helped by the brilliance of Bhuvneshwar and Yuzvendra Chahal. Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya too did their job in a winning cause.
"Bhuvi's (Bhuvneshwar Kumar's) spell became even more important because we knew the wrist-spinners would do damage in the middle. The deliveries he got the batsmen out with were unplayable. You can count on Bhuvi for getting the breakthroughs.
"Two young spinners bowling with a lot of heart, speaks volumes about their characters. Really augurs well for us how the team is shaping up," said the captain.
Kohli himself played an important knock, scoring 92 runs to help India set a respectable target against the world champions.
(With agency inputs)
