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  Virat Kohli refuses to blame Mohali pitch, lauds team's performance

Virat Kohli refuses to blame Mohali pitch, lauds team's performance

AGE CORRESPONDENT
Published : Nov 7, 2015, 4:16 pm IST
Updated : Nov 7, 2015, 4:16 pm IST

The win at Mohali was Kohli's first on home soil

(Photo: BCCI)
 (Photo: BCCI)

The win at Mohali was Kohli's first on home soil

Mohali

: Virat Kohli registered his first win as Test skipper at home after India defeated South Africa by 108 runs at the IS Bindra-PCA Stadium in Mohali on Saturday.

Visibly happy with his team’s performance and his Test win at home, Virat Kohli said, "First Test as captain at home was a special occasion for me, it is a young team, building a strong team together.”

“Seeing the way things have gone in the past month and half, the way we played here, a lot of credit has to go to the team. We thought if we are finding it difficult on this wicket, it is going to be difficult for them,” added Kohli.

Echoing Amla’s thoughts about pitch, Virat Kohli said, “As Hashim said, there were soft dismissals, I don't think there were any demons in the wicket, the ball did not turn square at any stage, batsmen had to apply themselves, it was a bowler's game. “

Lauding solid contributions from opener Murali VIjay and Cheteshwar Pujara, Kohli said, “You need mental strength at this level. (Vijay and Pujara) are two of the most solid guys we have. Had we applied more, we could have given them a bigger target.

Jadeja, who scalped eight wickets and won Man of the Match Award in his first game on comeback, impressed Virat Kohli.

"I am happy for him (Jadeja), he went back, got lot of wickets in Ranji Trophy, scored runs as well, he is feeling good mentally now, people with all-round ability are hard to find, it is just a matter of him keeping his mental strength, and he can be an asset for India in the future," said the Indian skipper during the post-match presentation ceremony.