India vs England: Skipper Virat Kohli says team dedicates 203-run win to victims of Kerala floods

Nottingham: Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli on Wednesday dedicated his team’s victory in the third Test against England to the victims of the devastating Kerala floods.

“We as a team want to dedicate this win to the flood victims in Kerala. This is our bit we can do as the Indian cricket team. A tough time there,” Kohli said in the post-match presentation after the 203-run win over the home team.

The result kept India alive in the five-match series after heavy losses in the first two Tests in Birmingham and London respectively.

The announcement from the prolific batsman at the presentation ceremony drew a round of applause from the spectators.

Kerala has been devastated by floods , leading to over 300 deaths.

The final wicket of the match was taken by Ravichandran Ashwin, who dismissed James Amderson (11), caught by Ajinkya Rahane.

The heartening aspect was the kind of domination shown by the Indian team in what can easily be termed as a complete performance under Virat Kohli’s captaincy outside the sub-continent.

While openers KL Rahul and Shikhar Dhawan were solid if not spectacular, the new-ball bowlers Ishant Sharma (2/32 and 2/70) and Mohammed Shami (1/56 and 1/78) were relentless in their attack.

Vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane (81 in first innings) and Test specialist Cheteshwar Pujara (72 in second innings) also put their hands up when it mattered the most.

Hardik Pandya (five-for and half-century) produced an all-round performance with wickets and runs to justify his place and make a statement to the sceptics, and skipper Kohli starred with 200 runs, including a second-innings 103, for the second Test on this tour.