Virat Kohli elated as Team India bags ICC Test championship mace for third consecutive year

Team India finished as a numero uno Test side on the cut-off date of April 1.

Virat Kohli became the first Indian captain to win a Test series in Australia earlier this year | Getty

Virat Kohli became the first Indian captain to win a Test series in Australia earlier this year | Getty

India skipper Virat Kohli is on cloud nine after his team secured the ICC Test championship mace for third successive year. For Virat, this achievement gives him and his troops more pleasure than their stellar performances in other formats of the game.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Monday announced that India has won the ICC Test Championship mace and prize money of $1 million after finishing as a numero uno Test team on the cut-off date of April 1.

“Retaining the ICC Test Championship Mace once again is something we are all really proud of. Our team has been doing well across formats but it gives us extra pleasure to come out on top of the Test rankings. We all know of the importance of Test cricket and of how only the best can prosper in the format,” Kohli quoted as saying by ICC.

“Our team has a lot of depth and I am sure this will stand us in good stead once the ICC World Test Championship commences later this year. That is again something we are really looking forward to as it adds more context to Test match cricket,” he added.

Despite playing the majority of Test cricket outside the subcontinent in the past 12 months, Team India retained the top spot in the ICC rankings. Earlier this year, Kohli also became the first Indian as well as the first Asian captain to win a Test series Down Under.

Congratulating Team India on its achievement, ICC Chief Executive Manu Sawhney said: "I congratulate India on retaining the ICC Test Championship Mace and appreciate the passion Virat Kohli's team has shown across formats over the past few years. It takes so much dedication and determination to consistently perform at the highest level in Test cricket."

New Zealand finished at the second spot with 108 points in ICC Test rankings and will earn $ 500,000.

Expressing his delight over the same, Black Caps captain Kane Williamson said: “It’s an awesome achievement for our side to finish second in the ICC Test Team Rankings and as a team we should be very proud. It’s come off the back of a lot of hard work and perseverance; not just by the eleven guys on the field, but the entire squad and support staff."

“It’s been especially pleasing to see the consistency we’ve shown in the longest form of the game over a decent period of time. We’re now all really looking forward to the ICC World Test Championship getting underway and the added context the competition will bring,” he added.

 
 

By Salman Anjum - 01 Apr, 2019

    Share Via