Mohammad Shami among the best 3 seamers in the world, says Kohli
Dec 30, 2021
Centurion [South Africa], December 30 : Indian Test skipper Virat Kohli lavished praise on Mohammad Shami following the pacer's match-winning performance in the first Test against South Africa.
Shami picked five wickets in the first innings before completing 200 scalps in the longest format of the game on Tuesday. In the second innings, Shami dismissed three South African batters to help India win the game.
"Knew the bowlers will do the job. Spoke about it in the change room - the fact he didn't bowl much in the first innings, it allowed SA to get around 40 more runs (Bumrah)," Kohli told hosts broadcasters after the end of the match.
"Just the way these guys bowl together has been a hallmark of our team getting a result in difficult situations. Absolutely world-class talent (Shami).
"For me he's in the best three seamers in the world at the moment. His strong wrist, his seam position and his ability to hit a length consistently," he added.
India clinched their first Test match in Centurion as they defeated South Africa by 113 runs on the final day of the game on Thursday.
"Got off to the perfect start. Have to understand one day was washed out - shows how well we played. It's always a difficult place to play against SA (Centurion). The discipline that the batters showed," said Kohli.
"Winning the toss, batting first overseas is a tough challenge. Credit to Mayank and KL the way they set it up. We knew we were in pole position with anything over 300-320," he added.
India and South Africa will next lock horns in the second Test in Johannesburg from Monday. "Got so much confidence out of Johannesburg last time. It's a ground we love playing at," Kohli signed off.
