India vs England: Virat Kohli’s Reaction to ‘Best Indian Team’ Tag Question A Result of Disappointment After Series Loss, Says Sunil Gavaskar

"I can’t see any other Indian team in the last 15-20 years that has had the same run in such a short time, and you have had some great players playing in those series," head coach Ravi Shastri had said after the fourth Test against England.

India skipper Virat Kohli once again had to face some tough questions during the series-concluding press conference following the Oval Test defeat on Tuesday. India had lost the fifth and final Test by 118 runs, thus losing the five-match series 1-4.

In the press-conference, Kohli was quizzed by one of the reporters about the “best Indian team” tag as labelled by head coach Ravi Shastri.

“The best Indian team in the last 15 years! Do these tags put pressure on you? Do you actually believe you are?” The reporter had asked Kohli. “We have to believe we are the best side. Why not?” replied the Indian skipper while keeping his emotions in check.

“The best team in 15 years?” asked the reporter again to which an agitated Kohli replied, “What do you think” The reply was clear with his answer as he said: “I am not sure.” The 29-year-old brought an end to the chat with the reporter saying, “That’s your opinion. Thank you.”

Is this the best Indian Test side of the last 15 years? #ENGvIND pic.twitter.com/24UVSEbCt6

— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) September 12, 2018

Now, legendary Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar has reacted to the incident, saying Kohli’s reaction—which to many, was a moment where he lost his cool—was a result of the disappointment following the loss in the series.

“That is probably the wrong time to ask him that question. He (Virat) must have been hurting from the defeat. Maybe the reporter was perfectly justified in asking that but I don’t think any skipper would have responded with a ‘you are right but we are wrong’ statement. To be honest, Ravi (Shastri) would have said that (best touring team in last 15 years) to lift the morale of the team. I don’t think so that he was trying to rubbish the earlier teams. That wasn’t the coach’s intention I believe,” Gavaskar told India Today.

“His team was 1-3 down and maybe he just wanted to end on a high. I don’t think that we should read too much into Virat’s reaction either. It was clear that the skipper was disappointed with what had happened and maybe he responded that way,” he added.

Head coach Shastri, while addressing the media after the fourth Test, had said, “I can’t see any other Indian team in the last 15-20 years that has had the same run in such a short time, and you have had some great players playing in those series. So the promise is there, and it’s just about getting tougher mentally. You have got to hurt when you lose matches because that’s when you look within and come out with the right kind of answers to combat such situations and get past the finishing line. One day you will if you believe.”