REDEMPTION HOPES REST ON KOHLI

Outwitted in both the T20 and the ODI cricket series, India will seek redemption in the Test format against a formidable South Africa as the series begins Thursday

SPIN DOCTORS

The Indian side will take the field without pace spearhead Ishant Sharma, who is serving a one-match ban. Hence, the team will be relying heavily on their spin brigade to outmanoeuvre the rivals

PITCH ROW

Both Kohli and his counterpart Hashim Amla attempted to douse the fire over dry, turning wickets that are likely to be prepared for the series. Kohli said too much was being made of the wicket while Amla said the tourists expected nothing less than a pitch that would help spinners in India.

It’s almost a year since Virat Kohli first took charge as Test captain. Given a choice, he probably would have liked his captaincy debut to have happened at home. Kohli turns 27 on Thursday, coinciding with his maiden appearance as Test captain at home.

Much water has flowed since he became captain; after the cry of aggressive cricket and winning at all costs, with a few controversies thrown in, he is entering a phase where he leads a young bunch by promoting inclusiveness in the dressing room.

While MS Dhoni made minimum fuss over team meetings and strategising, Kohli wants everyone to join in. The captain comes to team meetings with pen and paper in hand. He takes down notes and insists that the others give suggestions. R Ashwin is not just his go-to man on the field, Kohli depends on the spinner in team meetings as well. Ajinkya Rahane is not articulate, but Kohli has made him speak his mind in team meetings. Even the quietest, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Axar Patel, are asked to participate in the brainstorming sessions.

“I haven’t come into the job with a set of rules as such. The whole idea is that if you are taking the team in a certain direction then you have to give them the freedom to express, room to grow as a cricketer. You have to let them make mistakes and learn from them,” Kohli said. “We are giving guys more ownership over what is going on in the field. I have been telling them, ‘I might be the captain but it doesn’t mean you can’t all make suggestions’. I make sure every guy on the field thinks ‘I can captain myself; that is the mindset we want to go forward with.

“There has been a lot of criticism about a lot of things in my life. I don’t care about all those things. When I step on the field, I know I give 120% every time. I need to walk out of the field knowing that my conscience is clear and I am satisfied with my effort today.

“You do make mistakes and learn from them. I thought I was wasting too much energy by being too expressive, which I have started to conserve. You only get smarter with age and the amount of games you play — that has happened with me.”