India captain Virat Kohli said that the philosophy of the current team is that when someone like a Murali Vijay or Ajinkya Rahane go through a rough patch, the others taken it upon themselves to compensate for their mates.
Both Vijay (192 runs from 6 innings) and Rahane (63 from 5 innings) have struggled a lot during the current series but just like coach Anil Kumble, the Test skipper also made it clear that he is going to back his players firmly.
"Ajinkya and Vijay are both solid payers. Vijay got a hundred in the first innings of the series (at Rajkot). (When) I did not have any scores to be proud of during the New Zealand series, Ajinkya was stepping in. It's all about covering for another guy, who is probably not getting runs and that's what team sport is all about," Kohli made it clear about what he thought on team ethos.
"We don't believe in picking out individuals that this one is not playing well and this one is playing extraordinarily well. We compensate for someone who does not get runs and that is how we go ahead and pick up your teammates. Tha has been our aim," he added.
Kohli complimented the lower-order batsmen for contributing to the Indian totals in this series.
"Lower-order contributions obviously help big time," he said.
Kohli was also excited about newcomer Jayant Yadav who has not only bowled his off-spinners well, but has also chipped in with the bat lower down the order.
"I have been very impressed (with Jayant Yadav) who, as you said, is only two games old. You can call him an all-rounder now. I haven't had to tell him anything. He sets his own field, he knows exactly where he wants to bowl.
"Sometimes I ask mid-on to be back, he urges me to keep it up, he wants the batsmen to go after him. So he is pretty confident of his skill, it is very evident and it can come only with professionalism.
"Jayant practices his skills very well, he is fit, he understands his game, he is an intelligent guy, so great package for Team India. In years to come, you will see a lot more match winning performances from him, because he has got all the skills needed to be a very good Test player," said Kohli.
India take on England in the fourth Test from tomorrow in the five match series, which the hosts lead 2-0. They registered victories in Visakhapatnam and Mohali respectively, while the first Test at Rajkot was a draw.
Asked if is he going back with Vijay and Rahul as openers, Kohli said,"Yes. They are specialist openers, so there is no question of them not opening. They are not guys who have batted in different positions and they have opened for their states and country as well, they will be our specialist openers.
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Kohli said the last 10 days have been challenging for the team but "we keep it simple. We don't take too much of load".
The skipper defended his decision to go for referrals when he was dismissed in both the innings. However, he got it wrong on both occasions.
"It can happen to anybody, a batsman makes mistake and gets out," he explained.
Asked if he would leave the spin bowling combination unchanged in the remaining two matches, Kohli said, "Spinners have been outstanding and I expect them to do my job in the home season as they have done so far."
Kohli was also effusive in his praise for Man of the Match K L Rahul, who scored two decisive half centuries in the game.
"When momentum was not going in our way, he stuck in well. In the coming games we want to push those scores forward and put the team into more consolidating positions," he said.
