Kohli's boys show courage in Bull Ring

Virat Kohli ()

Virt Kohli has all the answers for his critics and he stoutly defended his team's philosophy after India have won their third Test in South Africa in a dramatic manner. The victory is all the more sweeter as India all of a sudden looked like losing on the fourth afternoon till what turned out to be the last hour of the match with the Proteas very much on course to pull it off at 124 for one chasing 241 runs in the fourth innings. 

Then the sudden crash in the post-tea session and India were home in a canter by a good 63 runs in a low-scoring game. 

Kohli is right, his team emerged triumphant from Bull Ring and on a pitch designed to help South Africa's fast bowlers. His message is that they can win in any conditions and on doctored pitches overseas. 

His script is cryptic -- if you think of winning you lose some but the belief should be there. He always believed his team can do it and now it has done it, claiming the last nine South Africa wickets for 53 runs. 

This is their first major victory overseas in almost four years, though he did not forget the last one at Lord's under Mahendra Singh Dhoni, also achieved in conditions as hostile as they were in Johannesburg. Kohli would have won the first Test he captained in Adelaide three years ago, leading from the front with a century in each innings, but India fell short by 48 runs chasing 364 in the last innings.

What the Johannesburg victory has done is that India will remain the Number One side in the world, fetching them a million-dollar cash award and with it the mace presented to the top Test nation. It also underscores the fact that there is no such thing as a dead rubber. The win has made sure that South Africa will not overtake India in the ICC rankings before April 3, the cut-off date for year-end rankings.

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