England vs India 2018: Virat Kohli Dedicates Trent Bridge Win to Kerala Flood Victims

After India beat England by 203 runs to win the Trent Bridge Test, skipper Virat Kohli dedicated the victory to the Kerala flood victims.

Meanwhile, it was indeed a splendid performance by the Indian team in the third game of the five-match Test series. Not many would have given them a chance after they lost the first two Tests. However, their comeback shows why India is the number one side in the world.

Earlier, it was English skipper Joe Root who won the toss and put the visitors into bat. The conditions were overcast, and England hoped to get off to a great start with the ball. However, openers Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul got India off to a good start. The opening pair shared a 60 runs partnership. England again came back strongly with Chris Woakes claiming three quick wickets.

However, it was the partnership between Ajinkya Rahane and Virat Kohli which turned the match around in India’s favour. The 159-run partnership studded with some exceptional shots from both the players. Virat fell just three short of a well-deserved century, and so did Rahane. The latter got dismissed for 81 but had taken India to a position of strength.

However, the lower order faltered after the fall of Rishabh Pant and was bowled out for 329. In trying conditions, it was a good score. After a good 54-run partnership between English openers Alastair Cook and Keaton Jennings, it was all India and their bowlers.

Hardik Pandya, in particular, was the pick of the bowlers. He was quite outstanding and returned with magical figures of 5/28 in just six overs.

India won by 203 runs courtesy exceptional all-round performance

England eventually strolled to 161 courtesy some good hitting by Jos Buttler. India batted quite brilliantly in the 2^nd essay and put up a solid 352/7 on the board before Virat Kohli declared the innings.

The skipper got 2^nd time lucky, as he smashed his 23^rd Test hundred. He was supported pretty well by Cheteshwar Pujara who came back to a form with a 72.

England lost Jennings and Cook to Ishant Sharma in the first 15 minutes of day four. Following the dismissals of Joe Root and Ollie Pope at the same score, England was staring down at a significant defeat. However, Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes shared a brilliant 167-run partnership with each other to make things interesting.

Buttler scored his maiden Test century which included some exceptional shots. It was Jasprit Bumrah who produced a magical spell with the 2^nd new ball which turned the game in India’s favour. He got the wickets of Jos Buttler and Jonny Bairstow in consecutive deliveries and from there on it was a formality of sorts.

India eventually finished the match in the 3^rd over of day five to complete a thumping victory by 203 runs.

It was Ravichandran Ashwin who took the wicket of James Anderson to bring down curtains on the match.

Here is what the winning skipper Virat Kohli said at the post-match presentation,

“We as a team want to dedicate this win to the flood victims in Kerela. A tough time there and this is our bit that we can do. The win was much-needed in this series and in context, and to have done so well in all departments is a victory for the entire dressing room. There was no panic, and we were outplayed in only one game where we were outplayed out of the last 5, and that was Lord’s. We dominated in this game because we put runs on the board and then the bowlers did well, even Ashwin did well with his injury. So we, as batsmen, did well to give them a cushion for the bowlers to go hard.”

“Even the slips did well, and this mix of all skills couldn’t have come at a better time Ajinkya was clear in his mindset in the first innings, and when he goes out and plays like that, he can change the complexion of the game. It was about getting stuck and not throw our wicket away. They’re a quality attack, and you need grit and determination, and Ajinkya did that in the first innings and Pujara in the 2nd. I haven’t thought about the 2014 failures, but I’d like to thank my wife who is here and keeps motivating me.”

“The four fastest bowlers in the series have been Indians, and we’re proud of our fitness levels. We want the opposition to bat well and get runs, and we don’t want to gift them any. We definitely believe we can come back from 0-2 to 3-2, we just need to keep moving forward, keep winning.”