Hardik Pandya is India's biggest asset, reckons Virat Kohli

India captain Virat Kohli felt man-of-the-series Hardik Pandya emerged as the "biggest asset" for the team after their convincing 4-1 win in the five-match series against Australia. Kohli had special praise for all-rounder Pandya, who scored 222 runs with the bat and also picked up six wickets to emerge as the player-of-the-tournament.

Super player "Hardik Pandya is the biggest asset (from the series). Selection dilemma is always a good headache as a captain because it's always better to have plenty to pick from and take the best 11 possible," the skipper said. Kohli also praised the pace duo of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah for their outstanding performances in the series. "Bhuvi (Bhuvneshwar) and (Jasprit) Bumrah have been outstanding for us. When Umesh (Yadav) and (Mohammad) Shami got their opportunity they were pretty good as well. And those two wrist spinners (Yadav and Chahal) in the middle overs were too very good," he said.

Man of the series Hardik Pandya holds two trophies after India's win over Oz yesterday. Pic/AFP

After leading the team to their sixth consecutive bilateral series victory, Kohli said: "We've ticked all the boxes. We have been put under pressure, and we have come back four times to win four games. Lots of positives to come out of this series," Kohli said at the post-match presentation ceremony here. 'Second nature' Asked about how difficult it is to keep the team motivated for an inconsequential game, Kohli said: "The management has played a role. It's become second nature to the players (to keep themselves motivated despite already winning the series)."

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