Kohli Test?

Gaurav Kanthwal

Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, March 24

For the second day running, India captain Virat Kohli did not have a regular net session. His cover, Shreyas Iyer, was flown in early morning from Mumbai and straightaway sent to the net session late in the afternoon.

An hour later, the Indian captain told the media that he would play only if he is “100%” match-fit. Yet, very few are ready to take his words on face value — they expect him to play even if not completely fit. The man who has led the team to nine wins in 12 Tests this home season is not expected to walk away, leaving the team in the lurch, before the final hurrah. 

In the last one month, Kohli has answered fire with fire in the three Tests against Australia for the  Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The series has been marked by acrimony, and Kohli’s scores in this series read 0, 13, 12, 15 and 6 — one more reason he would want to play. The fate of the series still in the balance, Kohli would not lack the motivation to turn up in the final Test.

‘Test myself’

On the eve of the Test, the captain said: “The physio wants to give it a bit more time till I can test myself, and probably we will take a call later tonight or tomorrow before the game. We will have to give it that much time more to make a call with the physiotherapist.”

But Kohli also said: “Of course you want to push yourself to be fit… As a player, as a captain obviously, you want to push yourself to take the field, if you can help the team’s cause.”

When specifically asked about the extent of the injury, Kohli revealed the injury is hampering his normal range of movement, but also that he risks aggravating it only when fielding, not while batting.

If Kohli is half the passionate and emotional cricketer he is said to be, he is unlikely to relinquish the reins, sit on the sidelines and not fight for the spoils of this series. Even if it means risking missing IPL-10 or the Champions Trophy, slated for June.

‘Chilled-out Rahane’

Australian captain Steve Smith said even if Kohli does not play, the team would be in the competent hands of vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane, whom he compared with Kohli as “probably a bit more chilled-out out in the field, probably not quite as emotional”.

Irrespective of who captains the team, Bhuvneshwar Kumar has a bright chance of making the cut, given the seaming conditions at the HPCA Stadium. In that scenario, India could go in with five bowlers, opting to drop Karun Nair. Similarly for Australia, fast bowler Jackson Bird looks likely to make the cut in place of left-arm spinner Steve O’Keefe. Already pacer Pat Cummins has been given the go-ahead following precautionary scans on his spine after the third Test.

Irrespective of whether Kohli’s men win or lose this Test, India will retain their No. 1 ranking at the end of the season. But India must win this Test to get their hands on the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, while Australia need to merely draw the match to keep it.

Low turnout?

Fans in Dharamsala have not shown much enthusiasm for the first-ever Test to be played in the state. The Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) ticket counter at the stadium wore a deserted look a day before the match. 

The sale of the tickets has got a tepid response from the locals in the last one week and there has been no buzz around the high-profile match. Officials, however, are hopeful that the venue will witness a capacity crowd on Sunday.

Fitness test for Kohli?

Kohli did not bat when during the team’s regular nets, but an hour later, he returned to the nets to face the net bowlers, under the supervision of physio Patrick Farhart and assistant trainer Raghu. However, he faced only a few balls before retiring