Ambati Rayudu's batting at number four and young Khaleel Ahmed's emergence as the third seamer were the two biggest gains from the ODI series against the West Indies, feel India skipper Virat Kohli and head coach Ravi Shastri.

"Two areas I can think of are for third seamer - Khaleel has been outstanding. God forbid anything happens to Bhuvi or Bumrah, good to have Khaleel who can come in and take wickets. Rayudu has also taken responsibility at No.4. Those two areas we were looking at (prior to the series). And those two have been addressed," Kohli said at the post-match presentation ceremony.

Shastri on his part also seemed happy with the kind of pressure Rayudu absorbed, having made a comeback in the Indian team.

"I am pretty happy with Rayudu. It is never easy to make a comeback in the team after couple of years. Even though you have to express yourself, you hold back and that is understandable because couple of bad performances can lose you your place. He has handled the pressure really well and batted really well in the last match," the head coach said.

Shastri seemed impressed with left-arm seamer Khaleel but wants him to add a few more clicks.

"The left-arm fast bowlers can be very handy. Khaleel is raw, he doesn't have the experience but he has the variations and has the aggression too. Once he adds to his speed, he will be more than effective."

Shastri said the team is back on track after its sixth successive ODI series win at home.

"We are back on track. I thought we were below par in the field in the second and third ODI. Sometimes you need a wake-up call and we were at our best in the last two ODIs. This Windies team is a promising unit. They have some exceptional players who with exposure, I am sure will test some of the big sides," the coach felt.

Skipper Kohli too praised his bowlers for their clinical show in the last two games.&nbsp;

"Because of our clinical performance, we were able to finish the game in a few hours. Credit to the bowling unit for pitching it in the right areas. Was surprised that West

Indies chose to bat, we wanted to bowl first anyway."&nbsp;

West Indies captain Jason Holder rued the lack of consistency from his team.

"Not the finish we were looking for. Lacked consistency in the last couple of games. We didn't bat well. Credit to the guys, admirable performance against India in India.

Thought it would've been a good pitch. Their bowlers put the ball in the right areas but lot of our dismissals were poor shots, it wasn't about the pitch. We needed to show more application."&nbsp;

Shimron Hetmyer and Shai Hope were the two bright spots for the West Indies in the series.

"Even Oshane Thomas here, he showed he's got something. Just needs to work a little harder," added Holder.

Ambati Rayudu's batting at number four and young Khaleel Ahmed's emergence as the third seamer were the two biggest gains from the ODI series against the West Indies, feel India skipper Virat Kohli and head coach Ravi Shastri.

Ambati Rayudu's batting at number four and young Khaleel Ahmed's emergence as the third seamer were the two biggest gains from the ODI series against the West Indies, feel India skipper Virat Kohli and head coach Ravi Shastri. "Two areas I can think of are for third seamer - Khaleel has been outstanding. God forbid anything happens to Bhuvi or Bumrah, good to have Khaleel who can come in and take wickets. Rayudu has also taken responsibility at No.4. Those two areas we were looking at (prior to the series). And those two have been addressed," Kohli said at the post-match presentation ceremony. Shastri on his part also seemed happy with the kind of pressure Rayudu absorbed, having made a comeback in the Indian team. "I am pretty happy with Rayudu. It is never easy to make a comeback in the team after couple of years. Even though you have to express yourself, you hold back and that is understandable because couple of bad performances can lose you your place. He has handled the pressure really well and batted really well in the last match," the head coach said. Shastri seemed impressed with left-arm seamer Khaleel but wants him to add a few more clicks. "The left-arm fast bowlers can be very handy. Khaleel is raw, he doesn't have the experience but he has the variations and has the aggression too. Once he adds to his speed, he will be more than effective." Shastri said the team is back on track after its sixth successive ODI series win at home. "We are back on track. I thought we were below par in the field in the second and third ODI. Sometimes you need a wake-up call and we were at our best in the last two ODIs. This Windies team is a promising unit. They have some exceptional players who with exposure, I am sure will test some of the big sides," the coach felt. Skipper Kohli too praised his bowlers for their clinical show in the last two games. "Because of our clinical performance, we were able to finish the game in a few hours. Credit to the bowling unit for pitching it in the right areas. Was surprised that West Indies chose to bat, we wanted to bowl first anyway." West Indies captain Jason Holder rued the lack of consistency from his team. "Not the finish we were looking for. Lacked consistency in the last couple of games. We didn't bat well. Credit to the guys, admirable performance against India in India. Thought it would've been a good pitch. Their bowlers put the ball in the right areas but lot of our dismissals were poor shots, it wasn't about the pitch. We needed to show more application." Shimron Hetmyer and Shai Hope were the two bright spots for the West Indies in the series. "Even Oshane Thomas here, he showed he's got something. Just needs to work a little harder," added Holder.

Khaleel, Rayudu's performance big gains from series: say Kohli, Shastri

Performing for the country is "not a favour done to anyone", and maybe that is the reason even after 10 years of international cricket, Indian captain Virat Kohli feels "no sense of entitlement".&nbsp;

Kohli, who completed the fastest 10,000 ODI runs eclipsing Sachin Tendulkar by an astounding 54 innings, feels that "nothing should be taken for granted" as it's a privilege that only a few are bestowed with while a whole lot of them can only aspire.

"It's a great honour for me to represent my country and even after playing 10 years, I don't feel like I am entitled to anything here. You still have to work hard for every run that you score at the international level," Kohli told BCCI.TV today.

"There are many people who want this (playing for India) very badly. So when you are in that same position yourself, you should have that same hunger and never take things for granted, never take it easy at any stage," said the Indian skipper.

For Kohli, commitment is about doing what the team requires rather than making a show of it.&nbsp;

"If I have to dive six times in an over, I will do that for the team," said Kohli.&nbsp;

"Because that's my duty and that's why I am selected to play for my country. That's part of my job. It's not doing anyone a favour. Not showing anyone that I am committed but it's purely gaining that extra run for the team. The focus has to be that much precise and finer at that moment," world's No 1 batsman further added.&nbsp;

While playing for the country, there can't be any let-up in intensity, the skipper said.

"You have to understand that I have to push for one more run for the team rather than feeling that I am tired and mentally not there. So, I think that's my only intent, to keep doing what the team needs all the time and just helping in any way possible."&nbsp;

His consistency has been monotonic and Kohli said that he has been able to push barriers only because he has put the team's cause first.&nbsp;

"I have been able to push my physical and mental abilities by focussing on what the team needs and in that process more runs have been scored by me than I would have otherwise if I would have been thinking about my own batting or anything like that."&nbsp;

The 10,000-run milestone, however, dazzling it might look is merely an outcome of the process.

"All these things look good from the outside as a package from inside you know that you are focussed on the process. The thing is pushing hard for the team when you are down and out, pushing those 10-12 extra overs so that the team can benefit from it. Then the runs become more anyway," Kohli said.

For him, the milestone is a testimony to his longevity than anything else.

"I feel really grateful, blessed. These things don't matter much but to understand that you have come this far in your career after playing for 10 years is something quite special to me because I love the sport so much and I want to play it more and more. And that for me is the most important thing," he said.&nbsp;

"So I am just happy that I have been able to play for so long and hopefully many more years to come."&nbsp;

Performing for the country is "not a favour done to anyone", and maybe that is the reason even after 10 years of international cricket, Indian captain Virat Kohli feels "no sense of entitlement".

Performing for the country is "not a favour done to anyone", and maybe that is the reason even after 10 years of international cricket, Indian captain Virat Kohli feels "no sense of entitlement". Kohli, who completed the fastest 10,000 ODI runs eclipsing Sachin Tendulkar by an astounding 54 innings, feels that "nothing should be taken for granted" as it's a privilege that only a few are bestowed with while a whole lot of them can only aspire. "It's a great honour for me to represent my country and even after playing 10 years, I don't feel like I am entitled to anything here. You still have to work hard for every run that you score at the international level," Kohli told BCCI.TV today. "There are many people who want this (playing for India) very badly. So when you are in that same position yourself, you should have that same hunger and never take things for granted, never take it easy at any stage," said the Indian skipper. For Kohli, commitment is about doing what the team requires rather than making a show of it. "If I have to dive six times in an over, I will do that for the team," said Kohli. "Because that's my duty and that's why I am selected to play for my country. That's part of my job. It's not doing anyone a favour. Not showing anyone that I am committed but it's purely gaining that extra run for the team. The focus has to be that much precise and finer at that moment," world's No 1 batsman further added. While playing for the country, there can't be any let-up in intensity, the skipper said. "You have to understand that I have to push for one more run for the team rather than feeling that I am tired and mentally not there. So, I think that's my only intent, to keep doing what the team needs all the time and just helping in any way possible." His consistency has been monotonic and Kohli said that he has been able to push barriers only because he has put the team's cause first. "I have been able to push my physical and mental abilities by focussing on what the team needs and in that process more runs have been scored by me than I would have otherwise if I would have been thinking about my own batting or anything like that." The 10,000-run milestone, however, dazzling it might look is merely an outcome of the process. "All these things look good from the outside as a package from inside you know that you are focussed on the process. The thing is pushing hard for the team when you are down and out, pushing those 10-12 extra overs so that the team can benefit from it. Then the runs become more anyway," Kohli said. For him, the milestone is a testimony to his longevity than anything else. "I feel really grateful, blessed. These things don't matter much but to understand that you have come this far in your career after playing for 10 years is something quite special to me because I love the sport so much and I want to play it more and more. And that for me is the most important thing," he said. "So I am just happy that I have been able to play for so long and hopefully many more years to come."

I don't feel any sense of entitlement: Kohli on 10,000 run milestone

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/ind-vs-wi-1st-test-day-3-kuldeep-yadav-shines-west-indies-were-181-1817-in-43-overs-169815">India defeated West Indies</a> by an innings and 272 runs within three days of the first Test in Rajkot on Saturday and registered their biggest ever Test victory.

Previously, the biggest Test victory had come in June this year when the team outclassed Afghanistan by an innings and 262 runs.

India are now unbeaten in their last eight Tests at home.

Following on, the tourists were bowled out at a score of 196 runs and suffered an innings and 272-run defeat in Rajkot. The match ended early in the final session and Windies now trail the two-match series 1-0.

They were dismissed for 181 in their first innings in response to India's 649-9 declared.

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It's all over. India win the first Test against West Indies by an innings and 272 runs. 
 
Ravindra Jadeja cleaned up the tail. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/INDvWI?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#INDvWI</a> ⬇️<a href="https://t.co/bOSqMElBuo">https://t.co/bOSqMElBuo</a> <a href="https://t.co/huyW0vonFU">pic.twitter.com/huyW0vonFU</a>
— ICC (@ICC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ICC/status/1048505414789287936?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 6, 2018</a></blockquote>
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West Indies' opener Kieran Powell started off well and fought a lonely battle as the team kept losing wickets from the other side. Powell scored 83 runs to offer some resistance to the team and his knock included eight fours and four sixes.

Left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav (5-57) was the pick of the Indian bowlers, claiming his first five-for in test cricket as West Indies lost 14 wickets on Saturday.

Hyderabad hosts the second and final test from Friday.

India defeated West Indies by an innings and 272 runs within three days of the first Test in Rajkot on Saturday and registered their biggest ever Test victory. Previously, the biggest Test victory had come in June this year when the team outclassed Afghanistan by an innings and 262 runs.

India defeated West Indies by an innings and 272 runs within three days of the first Test in Rajkot on Saturday and registered their biggest ever Test victory. Previously, the biggest Test victory had come in June this year when the team outclassed Afghanistan by an innings and 262 runs. India are now unbeaten in their last eight Tests at home. Following on, the tourists were bowled out at a score of 196 runs and suffered an innings and 272-run defeat in Rajkot. The match ended early in the final session and Windies now trail the two-match series 1-0. They were dismissed for 181 in their first innings in response to India's 649-9 declared. It's all over. India win the first Test against West Indies by an innings and 272 runs. Ravindra Jadeja cleaned up the tail. #INDvWI ⬇️https://t.co/bOSqMElBuo pic.twitter.com/huyW0vonFU — ICC (@ICC) October 6, 2018 × West Indies' opener Kieran Powell started off well and fought a lonely battle as the team kept losing wickets from the other side. Powell scored 83 runs to offer some resistance to the team and his knock included eight fours and four sixes. Left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav (5-57) was the pick of the Indian bowlers, claiming his first five-for in test cricket as West Indies lost 14 wickets on Saturday. Hyderabad hosts the second and final test from Friday.

Ind vs WI, 1st Test: India register their biggest-ever Test victory

Captain of Indian cricket team Virat Kohli has requested the board to allow wives of players to extend their stay during overseas tours, a close source to&nbsp;Committee of Administrators (CoA) revealed.

According to the current policy, there has been a restriction on the stay of wives of players and support staff to just two weeks.

Reacting to the same, CoA sources said, "Yes he (Virat) had requested, but we are not going to take any decision soon. We have said that we will leave it to the new office bearers. The policy will not change now."

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Yes he requested but we are not going to take any decision soon,we have said we will leave it to the new office bearers. Policy will not change now: Committee of Administrators (CoA) Sources to ANI on Virat Kohli requests BCCI to allow wives for whole overseas tours <a href="https://t.co/pEYyWmXl7H">pic.twitter.com/pEYyWmXl7H</a>
— ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1048781527474221057?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 7, 2018</a></blockquote>
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As per the CoA&nbsp;sources, no decision will be taken in the near future regarding the request to allow wives of cricketers to stay for the entire duration of overseas tours.

Earlier this year, the BCCI had announced that wives and girlfriends of cricketers will be allowed to stay with their partners for a duration of two weeks while the team is touring overseas.

Captain of Indian cricket team Virat Kohli has requested the board to allow wives of players to extend their stay during overseas tours, a close source to Committee of Administrators (CoA) revealed.

Captain of Indian cricket team Virat Kohli has requested the board to allow wives of players to extend their stay during overseas tours, a close source to Committee of Administrators (CoA) revealed. According to the current policy, there has been a restriction on the stay of wives of players and support staff to just two weeks. Reacting to the same, CoA sources said, "Yes he (Virat) had requested, but we are not going to take any decision soon. We have said that we will leave it to the new office bearers. The policy will not change now." Yes he requested but we are not going to take any decision soon,we have said we will leave it to the new office bearers. Policy will not change now: Committee of Administrators (CoA) Sources to ANI on Virat Kohli requests BCCI to allow wives for whole overseas tours pic.twitter.com/pEYyWmXl7H — ANI (@ANI) October 7, 2018 × As per the CoA sources, no decision will be taken in the near future regarding the request to allow wives of cricketers to stay for the entire duration of overseas tours. Earlier this year, the BCCI had announced that wives and girlfriends of cricketers will be allowed to stay with their partners for a duration of two weeks while the team is touring overseas.

Virat to Board: Let wives accompany team for full length of overseas tours

India captain Virat Kohli became the quickest batsman to reach 24 Test centuries after the great&nbsp;Donald&nbsp;Bradman&nbsp;early on day two against the West Indies on Friday.

Kohli, who was on 72 overnight, hit a four off Devendra Bishoo to bring up his 100 in the first Test in Rajkot.

The Indian skipper also surpassed Australia's Steve Smith to go second in the list of centurions among active players, behind South Africa's Hashim Amla on 28.

Smith, who is serving a one-year ball tampering ban, has 23 tons in 64 Tests.

Kohli reached his 24th century in his 123rd innings, while Australia's&nbsp;Bradman&nbsp;took just 66 knocks to achieve the same feat.

It was the second century of the Indian innings after 18-year-old opener Prithvi Shaw made 134 on day one to become India's youngest batsman to score a ton on debut.

India captain Virat Kohli became the quickest batsman to reach 24 Test centuries after the great Donald Bradman early on day two against the West Indies on Friday.

India captain Virat Kohli became the quickest batsman to reach 24 Test centuries after the great Donald Bradman early on day two against the West Indies on Friday. Kohli, who was on 72 overnight, hit a four off Devendra Bishoo to bring up his 100 in the first Test in Rajkot. The Indian skipper also surpassed Australia's Steve Smith to go second in the list of centurions among active players, behind South Africa's Hashim Amla on 28. Smith, who is serving a one-year ball tampering ban, has 23 tons in 64 Tests. Kohli reached his 24th century in his 123rd innings, while Australia's Bradman took just 66 knocks to achieve the same feat. It was the second century of the Indian innings after 18-year-old opener Prithvi Shaw made 134 on day one to become India's youngest batsman to score a ton on debut.

Virat Kohli quickest to 24th Test ton after Bradman

Prevailing cross- border tension may have restricted Indo-Pak bilateral cricketing ties but Shahid Afridi loves to put across a point firmly -- his &quot;cordial relation&quot; with India captain Virat Kohli cannot and will not be defined by political situation.

&quot;My relationship with Virat is not dictated by political situation. Virat is a fantastic human being and an ambassador of cricket for his country, just like I am for my country,&quot; Afridi told PTI during an interaction on the sidelines of the St Moritz Ice Cricket Tournament.

&quot;He (Kohli) has always shown a lot of respect and has even gone out of his way to present a signed jersey for my foundation (Shahid Afridi Foundation),&quot; he added. 
Afridi&#39;s foundation has been working in providing clean and safe drinking water for the economically weaker sections of society.

&quot;There is a lot of warmth and fellow-feeling whenever I have spoken to Virat. It&#39;s not that we get a chance to speak a lot but from time to time, he would drop in a message and I would do the same. I congratulated him recently when I came to know the he was getting married.

&quot;I believe as cricketers we can set examples of how relationship between individuals can be a template for relationship between countries. I think after Pakistan, the two countries where I have received most love and respect are India and Australia,&quot; said the former Pakistan skipper.

For someone, who was a maverick during his international career, Afridi loves Kohli&#39;s aggression and believes that supporting juniors in crisis situations has also helped him in earning respect from youngsters.

&quot;Virat is doing a brilliant job. I have no problem with aggression if it is a controlled one. And Virat&#39;s character is different from Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who was a composed individual.

&quot;Now suddenly, you cannot change the inherent nature of a person. Virat&#39;s greatest asset is that he can take the team along,&quot; Afridi observed.

Asked to compare Kohli with Pakistan captain Sarfraz Khan, Afridi said: &quot;Sarfraz is still new to the job and he will only get better along the way. The only thing I don&#39;t like is that media running down players during their rough times.

&quot;As long as you are winning, everything is fine and you lose a game and all hell breaks loose. That is grossly unfair. We should not overlook someone&#39;s past achievements just because he is going through a bad patch,&quot; said the cricketer who has been loved and criticised in equal measure.

During the couple of days of Ice Cricket at St Moritz tournament, Afridi at times even beat Virender Sehwag in terms of popularity thanks to the presence of a larger number of expatriate Pakistani fans, who had thronged St Moritz.

The moment he entered the playing area wearing the orange jumper, St Moritz turned into a &#39;Lala Land&#39; as everyone wanted a piece of their beloved &#39;Lala&#39;, as Pakistani fans affectionately call Afridi.

Afridi was a different man at different times.

He autographed the posters, even a Pakistan Tehreek-e- Insaf flag, obliged all the selfie seekers, seemed a tad irritated with multiple one-on-one interview requests, took his wife and youngest daughter out for a walk down the lake and did not even give a second glance at a young Pakistani woman, who in front of everyone shouted &quot;Lala aapse kabhi alag se mil sakti hoon (Can I meet you somewhere else?).&quot;

And yes, he played cricket too and tried to hit out as he would do often during his green jersey days. And the result was more often than not his downfall. It happened the same way but no one cared.

'My relationship with Virat is not dictated by political situation. Virat is a fantastic human being and an ambassador of cricket for his country, just like I am for my country,' Afridi told said

Prevailing cross- border tension may have restricted Indo-Pak bilateral cricketing ties but Shahid Afridi loves to put across a point firmly -- his "cordial relation" with India captain Virat Kohli cannot and will not be defined by political situation. "My relationship with Virat is not dictated by political situation. Virat is a fantastic human being and an ambassador of cricket for his country, just like I am for my country," Afridi told PTI during an interaction on the sidelines of the St Moritz Ice Cricket Tournament. "He (Kohli) has always shown a lot of respect and has even gone out of his way to present a signed jersey for my foundation (Shahid Afridi Foundation)," he added. Afridi's foundation has been working in providing clean and safe drinking water for the economically weaker sections of society. "There is a lot of warmth and fellow-feeling whenever I have spoken to Virat. It's not that we get a chance to speak a lot but from time to time, he would drop in a message and I would do the same. I congratulated him recently when I came to know the he was getting married. "I believe as cricketers we can set examples of how relationship between individuals can be a template for relationship between countries. I think after Pakistan, the two countries where I have received most love and respect are India and Australia," said the former Pakistan skipper. For someone, who was a maverick during his international career, Afridi loves Kohli's aggression and believes that supporting juniors in crisis situations has also helped him in earning respect from youngsters. "Virat is doing a brilliant job. I have no problem with aggression if it is a controlled one. And Virat's character is different from Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who was a composed individual. "Now suddenly, you cannot change the inherent nature of a person. Virat's greatest asset is that he can take the team along," Afridi observed. Asked to compare Kohli with Pakistan captain Sarfraz Khan, Afridi said: "Sarfraz is still new to the job and he will only get better along the way. The only thing I don't like is that media running down players during their rough times. "As long as you are winning, everything is fine and you lose a game and all hell breaks loose. That is grossly unfair. We should not overlook someone's past achievements just because he is going through a bad patch," said the cricketer who has been loved and criticised in equal measure. During the couple of days of Ice Cricket at St Moritz tournament, Afridi at times even beat Virender Sehwag in terms of popularity thanks to the presence of a larger number of expatriate Pakistani fans, who had thronged St Moritz. The moment he entered the playing area wearing the orange jumper, St Moritz turned into a 'Lala Land' as everyone wanted a piece of their beloved 'Lala', as Pakistani fans affectionately call Afridi. Afridi was a different man at different times. He autographed the posters, even a Pakistan Tehreek-e- Insaf flag, obliged all the selfie seekers, seemed a tad irritated with multiple one-on-one interview requests, took his wife and youngest daughter out for a walk down the lake and did not even give a second glance at a young Pakistani woman, who in front of everyone shouted "Lala aapse kabhi alag se mil sakti hoon (Can I meet you somewhere else?)." And yes, he played cricket too and tried to hit out as he would do often during his green jersey days. And the result was more often than not his downfall. It happened the same way but no one cared.

Politics can't define my cordial relation with Kohli: Afridi

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