Former Indian cricketer and team director Ravi Shastri was today all praise for Virat Kohli after his squad beat England in the second test match, saying the skipper proved to be the difference between the two teams.
“I think the difference between the two teams was Virat Kohli,” Ravi Shastri said while participating in India TV’s special show Cricket Ki Baat.
India today scripted a resounding 246-run win over England in the second cricket Test to take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series riding on superb performance by Virat Kohli and a superlative effort from the spin troika of R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Jayant Yadav.
Man of the Match Kohli aggregated 248 runs (167 and 81) which is the fourth highest by an Indian captain in Tests.
Shastri also lauded the performance of Indian bowlers saying they deserve full credit for their bowling.
“Mohammad Shami's seam position is very good, he can swing the ball both ways. Both fast bowlers are doing very good that is why I call Shami the 'Sultan of Bengal' and Umesh Yadav the 'Vidarbha Express',” the former Indian cricketer said.
Indian spin spearhead R Ashwin, who finished with the match figures of 8/119, has a lot of variety in his bowling, Shastri said, adding that he gets good support in Jayant Yadav and Jadeja.
Analysing the results, Shastri said the wicket of Alastair Cook on the fourth day of the match was the turning point as it built pressure on the English team.
Chasing an improbable 405, England were bowled out for a paltry 158 runs shortly after the lunch break to give the hosts their second biggest victory in terms of runs against the visitors.
