India vs South Africa 2019: Virat Kohli heaps praise on Wriddhiman Saha; commends Ravichandran Ashwin's bowling
The captain of the Indian Cricket Team, Virat Kohli, praised the glove work of Wriddhiman Saha while also appreciating the way off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has come back into the Test team. The skipper also opened up on his partnership with Ajinkya Rahane and how he enjoys batting with the vice-captain of the Indian Test team.
During the post-match interview of the second Test match, Kohli revealed that Saha was nervous in the Visakhapatnam Test but he kept the wickets beautifully in the Pune Test. He said,
“He (Saha) was a bit nervous coming into Vizag, but this game he kept beautifully."
Shifting his focus toward the performances of off-spinner Ashwin, the captain stated,
"Ashwin as well stepped up beautifully coming back.”
Virat also shed light on the fact that the Indian team was in the number 7 position in Test rankings when he took over the reins of the side and the hard work of his team has taken India to the helm of the Test rankings.
The Delhi-born batsman stitched a wonderful partnership of 178 runs with Ajinkya Rahane in the first innings. Speaking about that partnership, Virat said,
“I really enjoy batting with Jinx (Rahane). When we have a partnership we invariably take the game forward. You have to look forward to facing the new ball in the morning. We take a lot of pride in contributing when the situation is tough. He keeps giving me regular feedback when things are going wrong, and vice versa.”
The match-winning performances of Ravichandran Ashwin and Wriddiman Saha
While the batsmen had laid the foundation for India's victory in the 2nd Test against South Africa, the bowlers ensured that the home side wins the Test by an innings and 137 runs. Tamil Nadu-born off-spinner Ashwin took the wickets of Faf du Plessis, Quinton de Kock, Keshav Maharaj and Kagiso Rabada in the first innings while he also chipped in with 2 wickets in the second innings.
On the other side, wicket-keeper Wriddhiman Saha justified his place in the team with 5 catches behind the wicket. His diving catch to dismiss Theunis de Bruyn in the second innings was arguably the highlight of the match.
The third Test match of the series will begin from 19th October in Ranchi.
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