Photo: AFP
Ranchi: Kohli described Cheteshwar Pujara as priceless and also hailed Wriddhiman Saha and Ravindra Jadeja in equal measure as the trio put them in a winning position.
"Sometimes I feel really bad for him that people don't understand his importance in this team so much. You know what a valuable player he is for us. He is the most composed player we have in the team. He is willing to grind for his runs, he does not mind batting under pressure, he likes to take the challenge of batting long. Someone like that is priceless to have in the team," the skipper said.
Man of the match Pujara batted a record 525 minutes in his 202 as he along with Wriddhiman Saha's career-best 117 was the cornerstone of India gaining a 152-run first innings lead.
"In pressure situation, he always puts his hand up and plays long for the team and hold up one end, which I think is a great quality. This season he has been outstanding. He has contributed throughout.
"He's not being spoken about or being in the focus too much but I think he deserves much more than that. People need to take notice of what he has done this season. He's been outstanding with the bat and I hope he can continue until the last Test," he said.