India captain Virat Kohli dedicated the team's win over England in the third Test of the ongoing five-match series to the flood-affected people of Kerala.
Over the last two weeks, the Southern Indian state has been battered by incessant rains and floods. Over 200 people have lost their lives in the flash floods and over 2 lakh people have been displaced. In addition to this, the natural disaster has led to a loss of property and livestock.
"First and foremost, we as a team want to dedicate the victory to the flood victims back home in Kerala. People are going through a lot, and this is the least we can do," Kohli said after the fifth day's play on Wednesday.
The Indian Army was deployed for the rescue operations throughout the state. Along with the army, many individuals, including fishermen from neighbouring states, provided assistance.
The central government and other state governments provided monetary assistance. Relief funds were set up by corporations and celebrities for the rescue and rehabilitation work in Kerala.
Meanwhile, Team India will be hoping to level the series in Aegeas Bowl, Southampton when the two sides meet for the fourth Test of this hard-fought series from August 30. Not many gave India a chance after the hosts took a 2-0 lead with a crushing innings-and-159-run win at the Lord's. Kohli's men had lost the first Test by 31 runs in Edgbaston but the thrashing in London came as a huge blow.
Barring captain Kohli, none of the other Indian batsmen were able to put bat to ball in the first two Tests. However, at Trent Bridge, the batting clicked. Kohli, who scored his second ton of the series yesterday, found support in Ajinkya Rahane in the first innings. Cheteshwar Pujara, who was struggling for form, hit a half-century and stitched a 113-run stand with his captain in the second innings as India went on to set a Himalayan fourth innings target of 520 runs for the hosts.
Comeback man Jasprit Bumrah's five-for helped India reduce England to 311/9 at Stumps on Day 4 even as James Anderson and Adil Rashid took the game to the final day. India needed less than two overs to complete the formality on Wednesday morning and make it 2-1 in the series.
India gave England a run for their money in the Test series in England this week. They won by 203 runs in the third test match at Trent Bridge. During the post-match interview, the captain of the Indian team, Virat Kohli dedicated the win to the state of Kerala.
