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'Captaincy is just a c in front of your name' - Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli poses with the series trophy AFP

India's win against West Indies in the second Test at Sabina Park not only gave them a 2-0 series sweep and the top spot on the World Test Championship table, but was also their 28th Test victory under Virat Kohli, making him the winningest Indian Test captain, going past MS Dhoni's 27.

Kohli, however, said that the captaincy achievement was just a by-product of the team, and the bowlers, that he had.

"Captaincy is just a 'c' in front of your name honestly. It's the collective effort that matters," Kohli told Ian Bishop in the post-match presentation. "It's a by-product of this quality team that we have here. If we didn't have the bowlers that we have, I don't think the results would have been possible.

"Yes, you can score as many runs as you want, but if you look at these guys running in and putting their heart in - I mean [Mohammed] Shami's spell today, [Jasprit] Bumrah after having a small niggle, Ishant [Sharma] bowling his heart out, [Ravindra] Jadeja bowling a long spell… I don't think without these bowlers it would have been possible. So I think all the credit has to go to the whole team."

India's win in the second Test came in the second session on the fourth day, and Kohli was lavish in his praise for Man of the Match Hanuma Vihari, who made 111 and 53 not out to be the standout batsman in the game. One of the features of Vihari's batting was how well he left the ball and the patience he showed that ultimately resulted in the ball coming to his scoring areas.

"You have to be patient on this wicket, select the balls which are in your area to score runs," Vihari said of his approach. "Because there's something for the fast bowlers, and it's very important that you leave well outside off stump and wait for the areas… wait for them to come to you."

Kohli agreed that the pitch dictated the batting game plan, and said Vihari brought calm to the dressing room.

"According to the surface, I think it was a top-class innings," Kohli said. "He's a guy who's very sure of his game and it shows when he plays. He looks confident and the dressing room feels really calm watching him bat. I think that's a quality he possesses naturally because his game is so correct. He's always willing to improve and is accepting of his mistakes and corrects them immediately, and he's getting the results pretty quickly.

"He plays with a lot of heart, always up to do anything for the team, and that's why he invariably ends up playing crucial innings for us. It's a very young career so far, but he's shown why he's been backed and selected in this team."

India have been ranked No. 1 in Test cricket since October 2016, with Kohli having led them all through except when he sat out through injury. He assumed Test captaincy full-time when Dhoni announced his retirement midway through India's tour of Australia in 2015-16, having led in the first Test of the series with Dhoni injured, and then in the last match following Dhoni's departure. Before the win in the Caribbean, he had led India to their first-ever series win in Australia in 2018-19.