Virat Kohli hailed Sourav Ganguly for introducing his brand of fearlessness in Indian cricket.
Team India registered another comfortable Test series victory in the World Test Championship. On Sunday, the side cruised to a 2-0 whitewash of Bangladesh in Kolkata, as Virat Kohli's men secured an innings-and-46-run win over the visitors. The series also saw India hosting its first-ever pink-ball Test match, which drew a significant crowd at the Eden Gardens. The win also strengthened India's hold at the top in the World Test Championship table. The side has 360 points in seven matches, winning all of their games against West Indies, South Africa and Bangladesh.
In the post-match presentation, Virat Kohli talked about the side's domination, and paid tribute to former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly. India saw a remarkable rise as a superpower in cricket under the leadership of Ganguly, who is currently the president of BCCI.
"It all started with Dada's team and we are just carrying it forward," Virat said, when asked about the fearlessness in the current Indian team.
"The bowling group now is fearless and they believe in themselves playing against any batsman. We are reaping the rewards for all the hard work we put in the last 3-4 years."
Under Virat Kohli, India's pace bowling attack has emerged as one of the best in the world. In the second Test against Bangladesh, the three Indian pacers (Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav and Mohammed Shami) teamed up to take 19 wickets across the two innings, which is the highest for the side in home conditions.
"When the team is in sync you need to say much. These guys know what exactly they need to do. I was thinking if they announce me as the Man of the Match, it should go to one of the bowlers.
"In India picking nine wickets, each is special. I thought Umesh or Ishant, either could have got the award. It felt good. Conditions were challenging with the pink ball under lights. It puts you in a situation to get your technique right and get into that Test match mode try to see off the situation and that's the fun of Test matches when bowlers put you under pressure and you eventually come on top and score runs."
While Team India will now be seen in the longest format in February 2020 when the side tours New Zealand, a host of limited-over series await Virat Kohli's men. West Indies will tour the country in December for a three-match T20I and ODI series, which be followed by series against Sri Lanka and South Africa in January 2020.
