India captain stresses being No 1 in Test cricket was always a short-term goal for his team after Trinidad Test against West Indies is ruined by rain
India skipper Virat Kohli holds the series trophy at Queenu00c3u00a2u00c2u0080u00c2u0099s Park Oval in Port of Spain yesterday
Port of Spain: India captain Virat Kohli made light of losing Test cricket's top ranking to arch-rivals Pakistan in the aftermath of the abandoned fourth and final match of the series against the West Indies in Trinidad yesterday.
India skipper Virat Kohli holds the series trophy at Queen’s Park Oval in Port of Spain yesterday. Pic/AFP
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With a waterlogged outfield limiting play to just 22 overs before lunch on the first day, when the West Indies reached 62 for two, the tourists missed out on the opportunity to complete a 3-0 series triumph and solidify their position as the number-one team in the traditional format of the game.
"I said at the time that getting to No 1 was always a short-term incentive," said Kohli at the post-match ceremony in bright sunshine.
Big home season
"Other teams have played 10-15 more Tests than us so it will keep switching. We can judge ourselves better at the end of our home season." India are scheduled to play 13 Tests at home over the next six months.
WI captain Jason Holder acknowledged that his team was outplayed throughout much of the series but insisted there were gradual improvements in the team's overall performance. "We looked set to compete at certain stages of the series but just couldn't close out at crucial stages," he explained.
Holder: We faltered
"We faltered a bit in this series. Going forward we need to seize those moments." The West Indies' next Test assignment is against top-ranked Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates, beginning in September, on a tour that also involves three one-day internationals and three T20 internationals.
R Ashwin's status as a top-class all-rounder was enhanced by his performances in the series, as his two centuries with the bat and two five-wicket hauls with the ball saw him named Man of the Series. "When we started this series we wanted to come here and play aggressive cricket," said Ashwin.
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