Kohli praises Aust intent in Test series

Virat Kohli cares little for rankings, preferring to rate cricket sides on their intent.

And in that regard, Kohli knows Australia are one of the best.

South Africa remain No.1 in the International Cricket Council’s Test rankings following Australia’s 2-0 series win over India.

Australia held top spot for a brief moment in 2014 and will desperate to regain the mantle with dominant displays on tours of West Indies and England this year.

Kohli was unwilling to offer an opinion when asked if Australia are close to becoming the best Test team in the world, but praised their intent over the past six weeks.

“They might be No.1 for a while, someone else might step up ranking don’t matter to me,” Kohli said.

“What matters is the kind of intent you go out there and play with.

“I know they play very competitive cricket .. they love to win.

“Once they sense it, they want to go for it.”

Steve Smith gave India a sniff of victory with his declaration the SCG on Saturday, which came prior to play starting on day five.

“They could have easily batted more and given us two sessions,” Kohli said.

“But the fact that they gave us three sessions, giving the opposition and themselves a chance to win the game, says a lot about their character.

“Rankings don’t matter as long as you have that intent.”

Smith was proud of his side’s performances in an incredibly challenging four-Test series that followed Phillip Hughes’ shock death.

“From the first game in Adelaide the boys showed a lot of heart,” Smith said.

“There’s been tough moments throughout the series.

“The boys have held themselves throughout the series has been terrific.

“We set out at the start to win the series and we did that two-nil … we are extremely satisfied with our results.”

Kohli had mixed feelings about his own side’s form in the four-Test series.

“You have forced the opposition to earn their victory,” Kohli said.

“You aren’t throwing in the towel or getting beaten in four days. We pulled them till the end on three occasions.”

But Kohli added there was “a lot for us to improve on”, noting their inability to capture 20 wickets in any game during the Test series.

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