By: Tarish Bhatt
Should India’s captain Virat Kohli risk his shoulder injury and play the Test series decider in Dharamshala?
If there is a poll on this, maximum fans perhaps would agree on Kohli playing the Test. There would be a few who won’t be in favour or risking him. But, the bottom line is that the rest of the team is fit.
The likes of KL Rahul and Cheteshwar Pujara doing he bulk of scoring in the all-important series. It’s just a matter of time when Ajinkya Rahane, Murali Vijay and Karun Nair going to play a big innings.
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With or without Kohli, the India batting in other words looks settled. Barring from what happened in the opening game in Pune, the batting unit has had gumption since the 2nd Test in Bangalore.
The only possible change in the playing XI could be Mohammad Shami replacing Ishant Sharma. If at all India would have to play the Test series decider without Kohli, the team shouldn’t take it as a body blow.
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At least, he would be inside the dressing room to assist him team to put up a good show against Australia. Besides, Kohli’s presence should be seen as an opportunity for someone who could do the job for his country.
In the first innings of the 3rd Test in Ranchi, India did quite well without regular India captain and the bowlers could also dismiss the free-flowing Aussies from a position of strength.
Therefore, it is not important to make a big fuss out of who is playing and who is not. It’s important for India to play tough and win the series rather than thinking too hard about Kohli’s fitness.
