Virat Kohli also lauded Mayank Agarwal for his application with the bat in Mumbai Test.
He not only starred with the ball but also scored a fifty in the first innings against New Zealand and then made 26-ball 41* in the second do.
This came after India defeated New Zealand in the second Test match at Mumbai by 372 runs and pocketed the series 1-0. Kohli lavished praise on Akshar and said the all-rounder has adapted his game according to a format that forms a key for the side.
"Akshar is obviously is an all-rounder cricketer. His skill sets provide a good balance to any team he plays for precisely why he is performing well for so long in T20 cricket and Test too whenever he is given an opportunity. The good thing to see is he is adapting his game according to the need of the format," said Kohli in the press conference after India's win over New Zealand.
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"Which I think is a great sign, if he can keep his fitness levels up, if he can keep working on his game then you know he has a potential to play for a long time and that's basically the need of the hour in today's cricket.
If you can't keep up your fitness level it becomes more and more difficult. At the moment he is going through a great phase and I wish him all the success. I hope he stays fit and hungry to play for a long time," he added.
Mayank Agarwal had an amazing outing in Mumbai, scoring 150 and 62 which earned him the Player of the Match award.
Kohli lauded Mayank’s performance and said: "Great application from Mayank. To play at this level for a long period of time, he has shown great character. We have all gone through certain stages in our career where we have had to bring that impact performance and he has done that. This will help him in being consistent for India in the coming years, he is definitely an asset. These types of innings will certainly give him confidence."
India once again attained the no.1 spot in the ICC Test team rankings with this Test match and series win over New Zealand.
(ANI inputs)