ADELAIDE: Virat Kohli hailed the impact of man-of-the-match Cheteshwar Pujara in India’s breakthrough first Test victory over Australia on Monday and paid tribute to his three-man pace attack for staying patient with the match on a knife-edge.

Kohli’s team claimed a deserved 31-run victory on day five at the Adelaide Oval to become the first Indian side to win a Test series-opener on Australian soil in 71 years of touring.

India’s superior batting proved decisive, with Pujara scoring 123 to rescue India’s first innings before adding 71 in the second that helped set Australia a chase of 323 for victory.

“Priceless from Pujara, we were down and out at lunch on day one,” said skipper Kohli after India’s first Test match win in Australia in 10 years. “His grit and determination brought us back in it ... We did not let up again for four days.”

India’s pace trio of Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah have been rated the nation’s best in years, and Kohli said their ability to sustain pressure on Australia’s batsmen underlined their maturity.

“That’s a very positive sign,” he said. “We’ve not been able to sustain that pressure for long enough in the past. They’re fitter, have more pace in the ball now for longer periods and they understand that their job at certain times is just to contain.

“I think with four bowlers picking up 20 wickets in a Test match away from home, especially with a ball that does not offer you so much, is something that we can proud of.

“But as I said we need to build on this, we can’t be happy with one Test match.” Ishant had three wickets in the match but could have had more.

Having dismissed opener Aaron Finch lbw with the second ball of the second innings, the wicket was cancelled when replays showed Ishant had overstepped his mark, one of five no-balls by the seamer in the match.

“We were all happy celebrating but he was really, really angry with himself,” said Kohli. “Ishant is going to be obsessed about not doing it again.”

Published in Dawn, December 11th, 2018