Virat Kohli believes the concluded five-match series between England and India has revived Test cricket.
Kohli and his men fell to a 4-1 defeat at the hands of the hosts who clinched victory in the final Test at the Oval by 118 runs on Tuesday.
Despite the scoreline suggesting otherwise, the series was a hard-fought affair with India relinquishing advantageous positions multiple times in the five matches.
Kohli, who finished as the series’ top-scorer with 593 runs, has called the series a ‘perfect advertisement’ for Test cricket.
“It might not show in the scoreline but both the sides know that it’s been a competitive series, it’s taken a lot out of both the sides, and it’s been something that we’ve really enjoyed. We’ve taken up the challenge head on, and today was an example of two guys not giving up and actually entertaining the crowd,” Kohli said after the loss.
Kohli’s men were guilty of letting the advantage slip many times.
“As I said, this is probably the revival of Test cricket again and shows people what it means to all of us, and for people watching it’s a great advertisement for Test cricket,” he added.
Kohli had earlier called Test cricket the ‘most beautiful format’ of the game in an interview with the Wisden Cricket Monthly.
His No1 ranked India side will take on Australia in their next overseas challenge and the 29-year-old is confident that the lessons from the England series will help them Down Under.
“This kind of series shows you exactly the kind of character of individuals and I see that as an opportunity and not adversity because if you keep winning all the time a lot of faults are swept under the carpet, you don’t realise the faults you need to work on,” he said.
India’s tour of Australia will get underway in November this year.