Pallekele: Ravichandran Ashwin and Mohammed Shami bowled in tandem to scalp seven of Sri Lankan wickets that helped India beat Sri Lankan by an innings and 171 runs to register a 3-0 whitewash in the three-match Test series, here on Monday.
In process, the team under Virat Kohli also became the first Indian cricket team to win a Test series overseas with a margin of 3-0.
Talking about his team Virat Kohli said they were more like a bunch of friends playing together rather than a senior or a junior. “We don't even think of the number of games an X has played or a Y has played within the change room. It is all about who you see every day. You can joke around with anyone inside the group, and that I feel is something that makes me feel proud of this particular unit,” he said.
“ The way we have embraced each other and accepted each other with our different personalities and individuality, and that is the reason why people coming in feel like they don't have to do anything different from what they know already. It gives them an opportunity to go out there and believe in themselves and you never know. If you keep the environment like that, then people will take lesser time to go out there and become mature cricketers because they don't feel any pressure from the group itself. That I feel is something we all are proud of because we have been able to create that together,” he added.
In all praise for seamer Shami, Indian skipper Virat Kohli said he certainly rated him in top three. “he is certainly in top three for sure because of his wicket-taking ability and the kind of impact he has on games. When he makes up his mind to come out and give it his 120%, then he can bowl like this - 145, 140 clicks on a regular basis and troubling the batsmen. It is not just reckless bowling. So he is a quality bowler, he has all the ingredients of becoming a consistent world-class bowler, provided the fitness factor can be maintained and hopefully he is not hampered with any more injuries.”
Kohliu also praised Hardik Pandya for his stupendous performance and said, “The kind of confidence he showed with the ball and the maturity with the bat, it really gives us a lot of boost and the balance. “The regulars have performed, but the biggest positive would be Hardik’s inclusion and the way he shaped up in these three Test matches.”
Meanwhile at a loss to explain Sri Lanka's dismal performance against India, Sri Lankan skipper Dinesh Chandimal said the 0-3 thrashing was the worst Test series of his career and his team has no excuses to offer.
“This was the toughest series in my career, no doubt. The reason being that we were not able to take the games to five days. There have been four day Tests and three day Tests. This is the worst series ever. It's pretty tough for the team and me. Credit goes to India," said Chandimal.
