India vs England, 2nd Test: Chennai win an example of team's grit, determination: Virat Kohli

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Chennai, February 16: Virat Kohli had a rather tough year as a batsman and captain. As a batsman, the 2020 passed without seeing a Kohli hundred in any format. In 2021 too, four innings have passed without a hundred by Kohli, though he crossed fifty on a couple of occasions.

As the captain, he saw India getting defeated four times in Test under his leadership, two against New Zealand, one each against Australia and England. But Kohli arrested that slide when India defeated England by 317 runs at the MA Chidambaram stadium here on Tuesday (February 16).

Kohli said the win in the second Test showcased the team's fighting spirit.

"This game is an example of the grit and determination we've shown as a side. The conditions were challenging for both sides, but we showed more application, determination and grit to battle it out. I don't think the toss would've mattered much in this pitch, and we believed we could score runs in the second innings and got almost 300," Kohli told host broadcaster after the match.

Kohli had a word of praise for all the three main characters in India's win - R Ashwin, Axar Patel and Rishabh Pant. "Pant has really worked hard in Australia and the difference when he moves with the gloves you can see in his reflexes and reactions. He has shed a lot of weight in Australia and it shows and we want him to get stronger with his skill sets because we know how much value he adds to the team.

"It's a special moment for Axar. He'd have played the first game too if not for a niggle. He bowls fast and is all smiles, and hopefully he builds it here from here on. Ashwin batted outstandingly and in the second half I decided not to go after runs and I'm going to trust my defense to get me out of trouble. Yeah, pink-ball cricket is going to be challenge and we expect no easy cricket from England," he said.

Kohli said he want to correct the mistakes in his batting and return to big runs ways as quickly as possible. "I've taken a lot of pride in correcting mistakes quickly, which I haven't done in the past because I'm rigid. But I want to correct those quickly now."

Kohli lauded Chennai crowd too, who backed Indian players to the hilt. "The energy and enthusiasm from the crowd is really important for us. We were on the money this game and the crowd makes a massive different and you push more as a team. The Chennai crowd is very intelligent and they understand their cricket really well. For the 15-20 mins, when the bowler needs support from the crowd, and it's my responsibility to egg the crowd on. When we are bowling in the heat, you need motivation from the crowd."