For red-hot skipper Kohli, change is a constant in team
BANGALORE: The Virat Kohli Test captaincy era is just over two years old. While the top batsman has gone from strength to strength as a player, his leadership too has been marked by a dynamic approach.
Virat Kohli marked his 25th Test as skipper in the second match against Australia at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday. And none of the 24 Tests under him, since being handed the job in stand-in capacity for MS Dhoni in Adelaide in late 2014, has featured the same eleven.
His leadership has gone from all-out aggression, which saw India almost pull off a sensational win in Adelaide, to a more calculated approach following the defeat in the first Test in Galle on the 2015 Sri Lanka tour caused by a second innings batting collapse.
Injuries, poor form and a horses-for-courses policy have all played a role in the constant changes. However, the Indian team management has backed regulars as shown by the prompt recall of Ajinkya Rahane and Wriddhiman Saha despite replacements Karun Nair and Parthiv Patel doing well.
In Bangalore, India made two changes, and like most of the Tests where the eleven has been tweaked, one of the two changes was caused by injury. India suffered a blow after opening batsman Murali Vijay was ruled out due to a shoulder injury suffered while fielding in the first Test in Pune, which Australia won by 333 runs to inflict a humiliating defeat on the hosts inside three days.
Karun Nair, who became only the third batsman to convert his maiden Test century into a triple in the final Test against England at Chennai, was recalled into the side as India fielded six specialist batsmen.
Nair’s has been the latest change to pay rich dividends, having come on as injury replacement for Ajinkya Rahane during the England series. The other change that had worked was the inclusion of Jayant Yadav as the third spinner in the England series.
Jayant Yadav impressed with his off-spin on debut in the second Test against England in Visakhapatnam, taking nine wickets in the series and also scoring a century batting at No 9, besides a half-century.
Both Virat Kohli and coach Anil Kumble have praised the performances of players drafted in, either as injury replacements or as part of a horses-for-thecourses policy. They see this as a new professional approach in the Indian team set up.