‘Lagta hai aaj suraj paschim se nikla hai’ – Fans react as Rohit Sharma heaps praise on Virat Kohli for his magnificent knock in 2nd Test against West Indies

India wrapped up the 2-match Test series 1-0 against West Indies to kick off their World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 campaign with a brilliant win. However, things could be more great for them if the 5th day of the 2nd Test wasn’t washed out due to rain and the contest ended up in a draw.

Former Indian captain Virat Kohli was the highest run-scorer for India in the 2nd Test as he smashed his 29th Test century. Meanwhile, India captain Rohit Sharma talked about Kohli in the post-match presentation and said that he stabilise the innings superbly after they lost 4 wickets quickly.

“In Test matches, you need guys who stabilise the innings like what Virat did, he played superbly. You need a mixture of everything. We have depth, and we have got variety. We are in the right place. It’s about getting the job done. I always believe in getting better as a team. I said after the WTC final as well. We’ve played consistent cricket. That’s what we are looking at. We want to focus on all three aspects of the game,” Rohit was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.

Virat backed me and told me to go and play my game: Ishan Kishan

Interestingly, Kohli didn’t come to bat at No. 4 after India lost 2 wickets in the 2nd innings. Surprisingly, wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan, who was playing his 2nd Test match, was promoted to bat aggressively. He perfectly utilised the opportunity and smashed his maiden half-century off just 33 deliveries which included 4 fours and 2 sixes.

After his magnificent knock, Kishan revealed that Kohli pushed him to bat ahead of him and told him to play his natural game. This shows how much Kohli understands the game as he sacrificed his batting position because the team needed an aggressive batter who can score runs quickly.

“Was really special. I knew what the team needed from me. Everyone backed me. Virat backed me and told me to go and play my game. It was Virat bhai who took the initiative and told me that I should go in. There was a slow left-arm bowler who was bowling. It was a good call for the team. Sometimes you need to take these calls.” Kishan was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz.

Here’s how fans reacted:

https://twitter.com/GautamDewan999/status/1683565677725229058?s=20