New Delhi, Feb 26 (PTI) Star batter Virat Kohli on Monday hailed India’s Test series win against England as “phenomenal” and lauded the grit, determination and resilience of the “young” team.
India beat England by five wickets in the fourth Test in Ranchi to take an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match series. The final Test will be played in Dharamsala from March 7.
“YES!!! (Indian Flag). Phenomenal series win by our young team. Showed grit, determination and resilience,” Kohli tweeted in his first cricket-related comments after making himself unavailable for the Test series.
Kohli and his actor wife Anushka Sharma were blessed with a baby boy on February 15.
Iconic cricketer Sachin Tedulkar attributed the win to the character and the mental strength shown by the players.
“The score is 3-won! India once again came back from a pressure situation and fought back to win the match. It shows the character and the mental strength of our players,” Tendulkar wrote on ‘X’.
He picked a few individual players for special praise.
“A great first spell in Test cricket for Akashdeep. @dhruvjurel21 was terrific at reading the length in both innings and his footwork was precise. His partnership with @imkuldeep18 kept us in the game in the 1st innings, and his knock in the 2nd innings helped us sail home.
“Kuldeep’s spell in the 2nd innings was vital. Seniors like @ashwinravi99, @imjadeja and @ImRo45 did their jobs. @ShubmanGill showed great temperament in curbing his instinct in the chase and scored an important 50.”
BCCI secretary Jay Shah congratulated the team for the “outstanding” series victory.
“Fantastic victory for Team India in the 4th Test in Ranchi, securing the Test series against England,” he tweeted.
He also said the leadership skills of Rohit Sharma played a crucial role in the team winning its 17th Test series at home.
Former England captain Michael Vaughan said: “5 world class players missing .. Losing the Toss .. deficit in the 1st innings .. Full credit to India .. that’s a very impressive test victory .. a lot of new young indian players are arriving and will be around for a long time.”