India skipper Virat Kohli praised the determination his players showed in the second Test against England.
The home side bounced back from defeat in the first Test by securing a dominant success in Chennai.
India won by 317 runs as England had no answer to India’s spinners on a deteriorating pitch. Off-spinner Ravi Ashwin boasted match figures of 8-96 on top of his brilliant second-innings century.
The series is now perfectly poised at 1-1 as the teams make their way to Ahmedabad for the third and fourth matches.
It was India’s battling qualities that pleased Kohli the most, especially while playing in front of supporters again.
He said: “It was a bit strange in the first game to be playing at home with empty stands. But from the second innings onwards in the first game, we picked up and were on the money in terms of our body language.
“The crowds make a big difference, this game was an example of the grit and determination this side shows and the crowd is a big part of that.
It is a perfect game for us. The conditions were challenging for both sides, but we showed more application with the bat. We didn't panic out there looking at the turn and bounce, we showed grit, got into the game and scored 600 runs in the game.
“We know our bowlers would do the job for us if we put up these runs. The toss wouldn't have mattered much in this game to be honest, because if you looked at our second innings, we got 300 as well.”
Praise for Axar
While veteran Ashwin will take the headlines, the captain was quick to highlight the impact of Axar Patel after a memorable debut.
The left-arm spinner took seven wickets in the match as he especially relished conditions in the second innings.
“It is a very, very special moment for Axar,” added Kohli.
“He would've played the first game as well if he didn't have that niggle. He was keen to step on, and if you get that kind of pitch, he was all smiles and couldn't wait to get the ball in his hands.”