Australia vs India 2018: Virat Kohli Gives Credit to First-Class Cricket

The Indian skipper Virat Kohli has given credit to rich first-class cricket of the Indian team. The players have sweat hard in the domestic circuit and have reaped fruits for their putting in the extra yards. Subsequently, India has come up with a complete performance to take a 2-1 lead in the ongoing series against Australia.

The visitors won the third Test at the MCG by a big margin of 137 runs. It was a complete team effort from the tourists to come up roses. Furthermore, Jasprit Bumrah was the star of the show as he came up with a fine performance. He scalped his best bowling figures of 6-33 in the first innings. Moreover, he took three wickets in the second dig to finish with nine wickets in the match.

“Our first-class cricket is amazing,” said Virat Kohli in the post-match presentation. “The tough conditions with the second new ball make bowlers hard and bowling with the old ball proved to be a difference in this match,” he added.

Meanwhile, Australian commentator Kerry O’Keefe had given a controversial statement in which he had questioned the standard of Indian domestic circuit. O’Keefe had said that Mayank Agarwal had scored his triple hundred against the canteen guys. However, Agarwal came with a splendid debut as he scored 76 and 42 to let his bat do the talking.

Kohli said Bumrah didn’t have the rub of the green on his side in the second Test match at Perth.

“He (Bumrah) was unlucky not to get wickets in Perth. The way he bowled, it was almost criminal that he didn’t reap the rewards,” said Kohli. “The team management calmed him down and wickets for him came in bunches in this Test and he won us the Test match here at the MCG. I certainly feel proud as a captain to watch these guys bowling in partnerships, nobody is trying to outdo another guy, it’s all about what the team wants and what the kind of breakthroughs wants. That’s why they are so special.”

It was a complete performance from the Indian team to go 2-1 up in the series and retain the Border-Gavaskar trophy. However, Virat Kohli will eye to beat Australia for the first time on their soil in the red-ball version.

The final and fourth Test match will take place from January 3.