Video: Virat Kohli refuses to blame Mohali pitch, lauds team's performance

Mohali: Virat Kohli registered his first win as Test skipper at home after India defeated South Africa by 108 runs at the IS Bindra-PCA Stadium in Mohali on Saturday.

Visibly happy with his team’s performance and his Test win at home, Virat Kohli said, "First Test as captain at home was a special occasion for me, it is a young team, building a strong team together.

“Seeing the way things have gone in the past month and half, the way we played here, a lot of credit has to go to the team. We thought if we are finding it difficult on this wicket, it is going to be difficult for them,” added Kohli.

On the Mohali wicket, Kohli said, “As Hashim said, there were soft dismissals, I don't think there were any demons in the wicket, the ball did not turn square at any stage, batsmen had to apply themselves, it was a bowler's game. “

Lauding solid contributions from opener Murali Vijay and Cheteshwar Pujara, Kohli said, “You need mental strength at this level. Vijay and Pujara are two of the most solid guys we have. Had we applied more, we could have given them a bigger target."

Jadeja, who scalped eight wickets and won Man of the Match Award in his first game on comeback, impressed Kohli. 

"I am happy for him (Jadeja), he went back, got lot of wickets in Ranji Trophy, scored runs as well, he is feeling good mentally now, people with all-round ability are hard to find, it is just a matter of him keeping his mental strength, and he can be an asset for India in the future," said the Indian skipper during the post-match presentation ceremony.

Man of the Match Jadeja said he was glad that his comeback game turned out to be a good one.

"We played on turning tracks at Rajkot (in Ranji), so I had confidence about my bowling. I worked hard this season, I was bowling in the nets for hours. This was my comeback game and I was looking to play positive. It has been a pressure game for me, I was trying to prove myself again, so I am really happy," he said.

South Africa captain Hashim Amla said 150-160 would have been a more chaseable target.

"200 was a chaseable total, probably 150 would have been more realistic, 150-160 would have been a fair challenge on a deteriorating wicket," said Amla.

He, however, said his team managed to keep itself in the match till the last session on Saturday.

"To get India for 200 was an excellent effort from our bowlers, we kept ourselves in the game till the last session, but credit to India for bowling us out.

"There were some soft dismissals, we were in the game till we lost four or five and put pressure on the lower guys. Stiaan (van Zyl) showed you could gets runs if you hung in there," said Amla.

Download the all new Deccan Chronicle app for Android and iOS to stay up-to-date with latest headlines and news stories in politics, entertainment, sports, technology, business and much more from India and around the world.