New Delhi: After leading India to a comprehensive series win against the number one ranked Test side in the world, skipper Virat Kohli lauded spinners for a brilliant effort on Friday.
India won the third Test match of the Freedom Series by 124 runs inside three days in Nagpur to end South Africa's nine-year-old undefeated away record on a playing surface which many believed to have helped the spinners.
In the post match media conference, Kohli said that the team is happy that India's three spinners – Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Amit Mishra – have come good despite the negative press about the pitch.
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The spin trio accounted for all twenty wickets in the match, with Ashwin completing his 10-wicket haul in the match. In the first innings, he took five wickets while Jadeja got four and Mishra one. In the second essay, Ashwin scalped seven to increase his tally to 12, while the remaining three went Mishra's way.
Kohli, who earlier this year helped India to a historic away series win in Sri Lanka after 22 years, went on to state the fact that bowlers still win Test matches despite cricket being a batsman's game.
He individually praised all the bowlers, but took time out to hail Mishra's will and guile. The skipper felt that the 33-year-old is a confident and economical bowler, who knows what he is doing. Kohli then said that Jadeja's return to the national team is a matter of great pride, specially after the 26-year-old's domestic grind.
Talking about the recent brouhaha over the state of pitch affairs, the Delhi batsman said he doesn't dwell on it, because, India play to win and every side should accommodate themselves to the given conditions, be it home series or away series.
Giving a hint to future prospects, especially considering the batting worries, Kohli elaborated that the current team is in a learning phase and will continue to work to find the best combination.
India won the first Test in Mohali, followed by the Bangalore Test which ended in a draw with persistent rain denying play on four days.
The teams will now head to Delhi for the final match of the series. The fourth Test starts on December 3.
