India cannot afford to be complacent and should look to win every match, skipper Virat Kohli said Monday, even as his side reclaimed the top spot in Test rankings.
India romped to a 178-run victory against New Zealand on the fourth day of the second Test in Kolkata to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
If India’s seamers Mohammed Shami and Bhuvneshwar Kumar played big roles on a seemingly two-paced track at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens, then the batsmen also chipped in at crucial points.
Wicketkeeper-batsman Wriddhiman Saha struck unbeaten half-centuries in both innings against New Zealand’s aggressive seamers to be named man of the match.
The teamwork saw India jump back to the top of the International Cricket Council (ICC) Test rankings after starting the series just one point behind archrivals Pakistan.
“We just want to win every game we play, it’s as simple as that. It (being number one) doesn’t mean that we take the foot off the pedal in Indore,” Kohli told reporters, referring to the venue for the final Test.
“We don’t drop intensity there, we don’t drop our character, our vision to win a Test match for the country.”
However Kohli reiterated that rankings were never on his mind, adding the responsibility of taking Test cricket to greater heights is what he wanted.
Kohli was seen egging on the sparse Eden turnout and he said it makes a massive difference.
“You have to interact with them, you have to make sure they are a part of the whole thing. It just creates an energy and you feed off on that.
“It happens so much in limited overs, so why not in Test cricket? A challenging situation in Test cricket is the most exciting thing a viewer can see, and for a player playing as well, to feel.
“It’s our responsibility to keep Test cricket where it belongs, and if we play cricket like this, you saw how engaged the crowd was, they like to see exciting cricket, and we have to provide it.
“You can sense that energy which no other format can provide for you. We are just taking this as a privilege and a responsibility to keep doing what we can do, to the best of our abilities and hopefully get the right results every time it won’t happen every time we know. But at least we can try to win a game of cricket every time we step onto the field, that’s all we think about.”
