Kohli hints he might go in with five bowlers in one-off Test against Bangladesh today, marks a shift in India's batting-dependent approach
Times are fast changing in Indian cricket. And Virat Kohli is emerging as the chief catalyst.
First, the Test skipper said before leaving to Bangladesh that enough time had gone in focusing on the process, and that India needed to start winning Tests, a vastly different stand compared to his predecessor MS Dhoni. Now, a day before the team takes on Bangladesh in the one-off Test in Fatullah, comes another statement from Kohli that has 'it's going to be my way now' written all over it.
The 26-year-old gave enough hint to suggest that India will go in with five bowlers in the Test.
"I certainly believe in giving the team a chance to pick up 20 wickets. I am a big fan of playing five bowlers in a six-five combination. You only need two-three batsmen to click to get a score of 500," Kohli said in the pre-match press conference on Tuesday.
There are two aspects to this statement that illustrate the winds of change. First, Dhoni would rarely give anybody a sniff of the combination he had in mind before a game. All the cards were close to his chest. Kohli has almost revealed most of them.
Second, one will have to dig really deep to find out when India last played with five bowlers in a Test match. The team went in with four bowlers in all the four Test matches in Australia, despite dismissing the hosts only twice in eight innings. Dhoni loved to have the luxury of an extra batsman. Kohli, it seems, doesn't need one.
"There is nothing wrong in that," former India wicketkeeper and chairman of selectors Kiran More said. "It depends from captain to captain, and the kind of confidence he has in his batsmen. We have to go into this match with the intention of going for the kill and show the world that we dominated Bangladesh, and that is what Kohli might be thinking too.
"Teams like Australia, New Zealand and even England play Test cricket with five bowlers. That shows their mindset. We are fortunate that we have a good batting line-up, and a good wicketkeeper batsman in Wriddhiman Saha now. I see no issues in going in with five bowlers," More added.
As for who those five bowlers might be – if they go ahead with the combination, that is – Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, R Ashwin and Harbhajan Singh look most likely to seal four spots. The last one might go to Bhuvneshwar Kumar, unless the team management decides to take the unlikely step of going in with Karn Sharma as the third spinner.
Among the batsmen, Murali Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan, Cheteshwar Pujara, Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane and Saha pick themselves. It would mean Rohit Sharma, who was dropped for the final two Tests against Australia, might continue to warm the benches.
As far as the game is concerned, the result is almost a given, despite the advertisement to the build-up to the series claiming 'bachche ab bachche nahi rahein'. Why, even the Bangladeshis are not optimistic of an unlikely, historic victory. While ODI skipper Mashrafe Mortaza said the team should aim for a draw, Test captain Mushfiqur Rahim is hoping his boys can give a tough fight. That's about it.
This Test will thus be more about the dawn of a new era under Kohli, the Test skipper. The ball is in Kohli's court, well and truly.
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