Pune: India captain Virat Kohli heaped rich praise on opener Shikhar Dhawan, lauding his work ethics against England on Tuesday (March 23). He said that this is the sweetest victory his side has tasted for a very long time.
Dhawan announced his return with a match-winning 98 off 106 balls in the ODI series opener in Pune on Tuesday. Dhawan missed his 18th ODI hundred by just two runs but the Men in Blue sealed a comfortable 66-run win against England.
“Special mention to Shikhar’s innings as well. KL as well, back among the runs. Want to back the people who we know will go out and do a selfless job. For every spot, we have two-three players available. Great signs for Indian cricket. Right now, we are on the right path and have a big pool of players to choose from,” Kohli told at the post-match presentation.
Dhawan’s crucial partnership with captain Kohli for the second wicket was a boost to the side as the duo added 105 runs after India lost opener Rohit Sharma following a slow start.
“This is one of our sweetest wins in the recent past. This one is right up there with any other. Getting nine wickets so quickly is outstanding. To come back into the game the way they did is brilliant. I’m a really, really proud man right now. The team showed great character and intensity. As I mentioned in the past as well, we promote players who have intent,” Kohli added.
Talking about India’s batting, Kohli said, “Shikhar’s body language was amazing when he wasn’t playing. He was so helpful for us. Today he deserved the result. He batted in the toughest phase today and got 98 which is more valuable than what the scoreboard shows. The ploy was that when we got to 100-partnership, I told Shikhar I’ll take the bowling on,” he added.
