India were expected to wrap the New Zealand second innings on the final day of the Test match within two sessions. That they did courtesy some fine specimen of spin bowling from Ravichandran Ashwin who picked up his 19th five-wicket haul. India secured a 197-run win and walked back with their heads held high in what was a historic event for Indian cricket - the 500th Test. Earlier in the Test, Ashwin had become the second fastest to take 200-Test wickets, and later in the final day he only piled on to his tally of wickets ending up with figures of 6/132 making it a total of ten wickets in the match. India Captain Virat Kohli was obviously all praise for the ace spinner.
“He's been outstanding for the Indian team. If you see all the impact players in the world, he comes in the top three-four easily, especially the bowlers,” Kohli said. “Bowlers are the one I feel that win you Test matches and Ashwin is one of them. There's no doubt that he's been bowling wonderfully well for the last couple of years. He works very hard on his game. He's a very keen thinker of the game and he likes to talk cricket.”
Bowling prowess aside, Kohli was of the view that Ashwin’s batting abilities added a lot of impetus to the playing eleven. “He understands the game very well and is a very smart and intelligent cricketer. That shows in his batting as well. He understands the situation and plays accordingly. He knows when to get runs and when to play the situation out accordingly. It is priceless to have a cricketer like Ashwin in your Test team. He gives balance with both bat and ball. I wish him all the best that he keeps nurturing his skill, so that we can keep dominating Test matches and keep winning Test matches as much as we can.”
If Ashwin has been deadly with the ball, so has been his spin partner Ravindra Jadeja. Jadeja and Ashwin wrecked the New Zealand batting line-up in the 1st innings, bowling them out for 262. Ashwin picked four while Jadeja ended up with a fifer. While Jadeja was at his miserly best in the second innings, Ashwin cleaned up the line-up picking up six. Ashwin had earlier said Jadeja was a perfect foil for him and was enjoying bowling with him. For Kohli having two quality spinners bowling in tandem like their prime was always a boon who would contribute to the team’s success in whatever capacity - be it picking wickets, having talks with the captain or giving their own suggestions on-field.
“I like the fact that both of them come back to you and say that, ‘I’m trying to bowl to this one plan and let’s see how that goes’, when they feel like we are trying too much as a team. As a captain it always gives you more assurance that both these guys obviously know what they are doing and they are going to pitch the ball in the right areas.
“But at times when they are tired, when they are not able to think as clearly – everyone needs suggestions, everyone needs a chat every now and then. It doesn’t matter how good a skill you have or how much you’ve played, you still need that reassurance at times, especially during the game. Both of them are pretty open to hearing suggestions, but when they feel like they are very convinced about what they want to do, they tell you that. And I personally like that as a captain.”
Kohli also believed keeping a relaxed atmosphere in the dressing room and trusting each other’s capabilities would definitely yield results. “I am not a senior member of the team to be handling anyone on the field. For me, what I think is if you have honesty in the change room, if you have an environment that is relaxed, they will be able to express themselves better on the field. They will understand and listen to you. They will have the trust. They trust you are not saying anything that will harm them. It’s only for the benefit of the whole team. Once you have that environment in the change room, it becomes very easy as a captain to ask anything of any player. And everyone is ready all the time.
“One thing we have spoken about is we want to play a certain brand of cricket. Along those lines, personal performances will happen or won’t happen. If they happen, yes you feel good about them, but the eventual target is to win games and win series. We want to be a high-quality team for a long time. If you think about what the team wants, how the team wants you to play, you will end up doing special things for the team. Something I have experienced, these guys have experienced. That’s something everyone believes in and has bought into.”
With a win under their belt, India now move to Kolkata for the 2nd Test. A comprehensive win to start off the series for sure would keep the team in good spirits, believed Kohli. “The first game of the series is very important, any series that you play – whether at home or away.
Whoever has the first advantage over the other team, they will go into the second Test feeling more confident for sure. But it doesn’t mean that you can take things for granted, because we know that we’re playing a quality side. For them to show the resilience and the character that they did over the five days of this game, we know that we cannot afford to be relaxed at any stage. New Zealand are a team that works really hard, I know that for a fact. They are very smart about their cricket and they believe in their abilities and that shows on the field. So we do take an advantage in the second game, but we’re taking nothing for granted.”
