Virat Kohli praised teammate Mohammed Shami after India won the Centurion Test.© AFP
Indian Test skipper Virat Kohli said Mohammed Shami is currently among the top three pace bowlers in the world after the latter played a key role in India’s 113-run win over South Africa in the opening Test in Centurion. Shami finished with figures of 5/44 in the first innings to help India bowl out the Proteas for 197 and give his side a 130-run lead. After India set a target of 305 runs for South Africa, Shami returned with figures of 3/63 to help the Kohli-led side register a 113-run win on Thursday. The win saw the visitors take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series, with games in Johannesburg and Cape Town yet to be played.
Speaking in the post-match presentation, Kohli hailed Shami. “Shami is an absolutely world-class bowler, among top three seam bowlers in the world for me. Very, very happy for him to get 200 wickets and have an impactful performances,” said Kohli.
The Indian Test skipper also lauded opening batters Mayank Agarwal and KL Rahul for hiving the side a good start on the first day.
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“We got off to the perfect start we wanted to. Getting the result in four days shows how well we played. It’s always a difficult place, South Africa, but we were clinical with bat, ball and in the field. A lot of credit goes to Mayank and KL and we were in pole position at 270 for 3 after day one,” he elaborated.
“We had a lot of belief in our bowling unit to get the job done. We spoke about it in the change room. Since he didn’t bowl much in the first innings, it helped opposition get those extra runs. Just the way these guys bowl together, it’s just a hallmark of our team getting a result from that position,” he added.
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