'History does matter. It's obviously a very proud moment, more so because for the last 12 months, we understand what we have gone through as a team.'
He was a part of India's victorious World Cup campaign in 2011 but Virat Kohli felt 'more emotional' than ever before after his team's maiden Test series win in Australia, something the captain termed as the 'biggest achievement' of his career.
"By far this is my best achievement. Has to be on top of the pile," Kohli said after being the first Indian captain to lead the team to a Test series win in Australia in 71 years.
He then explained that why the triumph Down Under will remain more special for him compared to World Cup triumph.
"I was a part of the 2011 World Cup team but I didn't have the emotion of not having been able to win a World Cup before, playing at home and winning it eventually. A lot of the senior players had that emotion. So, for them it was what 'we have achieved'. Yes, it was a great moment for me to be part of.
"But if you ask me which moment is more emotional, I would say this one because this is my third tour here and I have seen with experience and being in the field as to how difficult it is to win here. So from that point of view this one is more emotional to me," the skipper said.
He is well aware of the history but by his own admission, he never wanted to challenge it.
"History does matter. It's obviously a very proud moment, more so because for the last 12 months, we understand what we have gone through as a team. Although changing history or creating history is still not what I am thinking of, it is pure satisfaction of the hard work of 12 months," added Kohli.
For someone, who has time and again emphasized on team effort, Kohli said that Hanuma Vihari's dogged resistance against the new ball in an unfamiliar opening position in the third Test in Melbourne was as critical as a century or big knock.
"If you ask me to single out a contribution, for me Hanuma Vihari playing 70 balls with the new ball in MCG is as big as anyone getting a hundred or anyone scoring 70-80. That's how we recognise contributions, and we don't look at contribution as something that goes up on the honours' board," the eloquent skipper said.
What makes the victory even more special is the fact that the team desperately wanted to win a series overseas rather than winning an odd Test match.
"Definitely will be more special, purely because of the fact that we really wanted to win a series away from home. We didn't want to be a one-match wonder kind of thing.
"So, having stuck to our task and executed what we wanted and gotten the result, we, as a team, feel absolutely complete now that we have done what we set out to do, not to show to anyone else but to prove ourselves that yes, we could do it and we have done it. From that point of view this one is more special for me," said Kohli.
Self belief has been the key for this particular team but not in an arrogant manner, asserted the skipper.
"I don't say it in an arrogant way but I am saying the truth when I say that we have so much belief in ourselves that we can beat anyone anywhere."
He once again praised the fast bowlers for their stupendous effort. The trio of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Ishant Sharma became the most successful pace trio in a calendar year in Tests as they picked up a combined 131 wickets in the year 2018 breaking the previous record set by the legendary West Indian bowling trio of Michael Holding, Joel Garner and Malcolm Marshall
"Well, the numbers are there on the board for everyone to see. Having broken a record of the West Indian fast bowlers, speaks volumes. Who could have thought a bunch of Indian fast bowlers would go on and break that record, in a single season. I have one word to say and that is, I am proud.
"I feel great standing in the slip cordon watching these guys. I didn't have to tell Jasprit Bumrah yesterday to bowl at 149 clicks with the old ball to a no. 11 batsman. It was his decision. You can see that hunger, and you can see that passion. We would put everything on the line to win for the team," the proud skipper said.
The twin defeats in South Africa and England was more about "rectifying the mistakes"
"We just worked on rectifying the mistakes. So we laid out a lot of those things on the table and no one took offence to anything. Everyone accepted it that we have made a lot of mistakes in certain areas, and come game time and game situation we were better than the opposition in those areas.
"That's the progress of a team, it is pretty basic but the one thing that we always stuck to what was good intent and doing things for the right reasons. We always did things to help the team and that's why we have been rewarded with the series win like this," Kohli said.
