Virat Kohli hails 2019 as one of the best years ever for Indian cricket, Rohit Sharma pleased with his current form
Following a clinical series victory against the West Indies, Indian skipper Virat Kohli called 2019 one of the best years ever for Indian cricket. Finishing at second place in the ODI rankings and as the top-ranked team in Tests, the Indian cricket team had a memorable year courtesy of all-round performances from all the players.
Kohli had a phenomenal year himself as the leading run-getter across all formats of the game with 2,455 runs, including seven centuries. Looking back at the year that has gone by, Kohli talked about how the team remains focused on winning an ICC trophy, while also expressing satisfaction with his team's performance this year.
2019 has been one of the best years for Indian cricket. Apart from the 30 minutes [in the semifinal loss against New Zealand] in the World Cup, it's been a great year. We'll keep chasing that ICC trophy, this group deserves it for the amount of hard work we have put in. We have a vision in place," Kohli said.
India were unbeaten in Tests in 2019, winning as many as seven out of eight matches while drawing one. The team also registered 19 wins in 28 ODIs, but were dealt a tough blow when they lost the semi-final against New Zealand in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019.
Kohli also acknowledged the growth of the Indian pace attack as one of the biggest takeaways from the year. Focusing upon how the current Indian fast bowlers have taken away the limelight from the spinners, he mentioned that the turnaround has helped give the team the impetus to win overseas.
Having a bunch of fast bowlers who can bowl out any opposition anywhere – them taking the attention away from the spinners in India is a huge achievement. We feel we have it in us to win series overseas, not just the odd game.
Meanwhile, India's limited-overs vice-captain Rohit Sharma ended the year on a high note, scoring 1,490 with seven centuries to his name in ODIs. Rohit also broke Sanath Jayasuriya's record of most runs by an opener across formats in a calendar year, with 2,440 runs.
Expressing his happiness after a record-breaking performance in 2019, Sharma mentioned how he is looking forward to continuing his exploits in the upcoming year.
"Extremely grateful for the year I've had," he said. "I've enjoyed batting, but there's no way I'm stopping. There's an exciting year coming up. I understand my batting well. I want to play within my limits, knowing the gameplan you want to execute is very, very important."
In their final ODI of the year, India chased down a total of 315 runs in the decider held at Cuttack with three half-centuries from Sharma (63), KL Rahul (77) and Kohli (85). Claiming the ODI series by a 2-1 margin, it was India's 10th successive win in a bilateral series over the West Indies, the most against any opposition.