Proud of the character and spirit exhibited by the team, says Kohli 

SRI LANKA eked out a draw in the first Test against India at Kolkata. Chasing a tricky total of 231, the visitors were reduced to 7/75 in second innings before bad lights stopped play on Day 5. 

India skipper Virat Kohli stated that he was delighted to see the character and conviction displayed by his side in the fag-end of the match. Speaking at the post-match presentation ceremony, the prolific batsman said, 

“It was important to make something out of the game with whatever little time we had. Also, the conditions changed drastically from Day 1 to Day 5. They bowled well to keep us on the back foot on the first two days. But we knew that we could pull the game back with our second innings performance. The team showed a lot of character to make it so close in the end.”

When asked whether the hosts reflected on Sri Lanka’s unimpressive recent-past performances to boost the team’s confidence, Kohli said,

“We did not look at their batting collapses. We believed in our strengths. While batting on the final day I realised that it would be difficult for the Lankans to bat on the wicket without intent. So the key strategy was to bowl in those right areas. And, I’m proud of the team’s performance.”

The two teams will lock horns in the second Test at Nagpur on November 24. 
 

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