Kohli had suffered a shoulder injury during the third Test in Ranchi. Ajinkya Rahane to lead the team.
The worst fear of the Indian team management came true as skipper Virat Kohli was ruled out of the fourth Test against Australia, starting in Dharamsala on Saturday. India's batting coach Sanjay Bangar said before the start of the match, reports Reuters.
Kohli had suffered a shoulder injury during the third Test in Ranchi and although he managed to bat and field in that match, the injury got too big on him for the series decider.
Vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane will now lead the squad in the final Test of the series. Chinaman Kuldeep Yadav has replaced Kohli as India decides to go with five bowlers. Team India also brought in a bowler who can bat as pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar replaces Ishant Sharma.
Kohli hadn't batted in nets on Thursday and just had a few throw downs on Friday. He had made it very clear in the press conference on the eve of the match that he won't take the field without being fully fit. When he didn't even stretch during the team warm up on Saturday, it became clear that the skipper will miss the fourth Test against the visitors.
"You want to push yourself to be fit but you have to understand that this isn't happening due to lack of fitness rather it is an impact injury, so we need some more time. It's an opportunity of other guys to take the team ahead. And everyone is really proud and motivated to play for the country and me playing or not playing shouldn't make any difference for them," Kohli had said on Friday.
The series is tied at 1-1. A draw is as good as a win for the Aussies as that would be enough for them to take home the Border Gavaskar Trophy, having won the home series in 2014-15, while the hosts have to play for victory to snatch back the silverware from their long-standing rivals. Kohli's absence, both as a batsman and captain, is definitely going to hurt India's chances and the rest of the squad has to perform out of the skins to bring glory for the nation.
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