Pujara and Rahane are India's 'best Test batsmen': Virat Kohli

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Bengaluru, March 7: Indian captain Virat Kohli today (March 7) declared Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane as the "best Test batsmen" in India. [Kohli 'stings' Australia over 'head of snake' comment]

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Pujara and Rahane turned the game in India's favour with an invaluable century partnership in the second innings of the 2nd Test against Australia here at M Chinnaswamy Stadium.

Thanks to Pujara (92) and Rahane's (52) crucial half centuries, India bounced back to set a tricky target of 188.

The visitors crumbled under the pressure of Ravichandran Ashwin's (6/41) spin and were bowled out for 112, handing a 75-run success to India. The 4-match series is now level at 1-1.

Pleased with the team's performance, Kohli said Pujara and Rahane were the "best" in India in the five-day format.

"I feel that the partnership (118 runs for the 5th wicket) between Ajinkya and Pujara, in a situation where the momentum was against us in the series, was outstanding.

"In the last two years, it's one of the top two partnerships, or maybe number one, because retrieving the lost momentum and giving the team the lead was a question of character, and they both showed why they are India's best Test batsmen," Kohli said.

The 2nd Test was a gripping one with a challenging pitch making batting difficult. India were bowled out for 189 on the 1st day but rallied to bat well in the second.

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