ENG vs IND: “Certainly Felt We Were On Top”, Says Virat Kohli After 1st Test Ends In Draw | Cricket News

India skipper Virat Kohli expressed disappointment after the first Test against England ended in a draw as Day five of the match was abandoned due to rain on Sunday. It was the first match of the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023 cycle. The start of day five got delayed twice after an early Lunch and Test was taken as rain played a spoilt sport. “We were expecting rain on day 3 and 4, and it chooses to arrive on day 5 when we were looking to have a good crack at the target,” said Kohli in a post-match presentation.

“We wanted to start strong, and heading into day five we felt we had the chance right in front of the ball. We certainly felt we were right on top, and it’s a shame we couldn’t complete day five,” he added.

India needed just 157 runs to win the first Test on day five but no play was possible due to rain. The visitors scored 52 runs after bundling out England in the third session on Saturday.

Kohli said the game on the final day wasn’t about survival as India wanted to go for the win on Sunday.

“We got to 50 overnight, a real positive for us. It wasn’t just about survival, it was about getting the boundaries when we got the chance,” said Kohli.

Praising bowlers for their stint at the crease, Kohli said, “It’s the hard work of three-odd weeks (the lower-order batting). They were in the nets regularly, and we got a lead of 95 purely from their efforts.

Promoted

“I think they did a tremendous job with the bat. Most likely it will be a template going ahead [4-1 combination], but we’ve always been adaptable as well, to the conditions and pace of the wicket. It’s going to be an exciting series to be a part of, as India-England always is,” he added.

The action moves to Lord’s for the second match which gets underway from Thursday.