KL Rahul fit while decision on Mohammad Shami to be taken later today: Virat Kohli

As Team India look to extend their lead in the ongoing 5-match Test series against England in the Mumbai Test they are greeted with a good news and a not so good one. While their first choice opener KL Rahul has regained fitness and is available for selection pacer Mohammad Shami seems to have hurt his knee and is doubtful for the all important game.

It’s a long season and India would not want to take chances with Shami’s fitness who has been a key player for them on the field but has really struggled to keep himself away from injuries. “Rahul is fine. As far as Mohammad Shami is concerned, we will have to take a call in the evening in terms of how he is feeling. After the Mohali Test, he felt some soreness in the knee. We will have to take a collective decision because he has had a history with knee problems. You don’t want to push a player so much so that you lose him for the rest of the season. We still have some time to decide.” Kohli said.

Does this concern him that quite a few Indian bowlers are catching injuries? “I am not really concerned. Whoever has stepped in has given match winning performances. If you look at Bhuvi (Bhuvneshwar Kumar), he got to play in St Lucia and Kolkata and picked up five wickets both times. I am not worried because the guys outside are waiting for opportunities. It is great for the team.”

On the eve of the game, while addressing the media the Indian Test skipper also talked about rotating the available bowlers and for them to be able to think from the team’s perspective and not hunt for a wicket on every ball. “It certainly helps when guys have identified their faults in the past and are willing to work on it. They have worked at their consistency, having the required patience to not come at the batsman all the time. For that, you need to get fitter, bowl those disciplined, fourth-fifth stump lines.”

“If you bowl at the batsman after three-four overs, he’ll score 25 runs that will turn the session completely, as opposed to the 4-5 runs in those overs that will keep the batsman under check. It is a routine they have been part of, they have not been desperate to pick up five wickets and look to tire the batsman so that he makes a mistake. For that you have to be physically and mentally stronger. The key is to not be desperate or selfish, and that is what they have done.” Virat added.

Jayant Yadav made his debut in the second Test at Vizag and didn’t look like he was new to Test cricket, he has adapted well and understands his place in the bowling lineup. The skipper is also impressed with his confidence as well as his performance. “I am very impressed. He is just two games old, I have never played with an all-rounder who I haven’t had to tell anything. He is pretty confident of his skill, and that comes with professionalism. He practices his skill very well, he is a great package and you will see a lot more match-winning performances from him. He has all the skills needed to be a very good Test player.”

He also said that the team shares ideas during meetings and the batsmen are given a particular role and they have been doing quite well in the last year or so. “It is mostly collective, we decide as a team before the session. We have a small chat as a team on how we need to approach the session, the innings, or a particular spell, and the good thing is that the batsmen follow them. It is about sticking to what has been told by the team, instead of going in your own zone. That’s why we have had more team performances in the last 12-14 months than individual performances that others look ordinary.” Kohli said.

Team India will go in with their standard opening combination of Murali Vijay and KL Rahul despite retaining Parthiv Patel who did well at the top in the last Test. “There is no question of Vijay and Rahul not opening. They are not guys who have batted in different positions. They will be our specialists.”

Virat isn’t concerned about the batting form of Vijay or Rahane and at the same time, is pleased that the lower-order has been kicking in with some crucial contributions. “Lower order contributions help big time. You cant bat in a different way, thinking that the lower order will take care of this situation. You have to make situation easy for the next. – Ajinkya and Vijay – both are solid players, Vijay scored a hundred in the first Test of the series. I didn’t have scores to be proud of in NZ. It is all about covering for the other guy. That’s how the team goes forward. We don’t pick out players, saying he is not playing well.”

Having led the team in 20 Test matches, Kohli has fielded a unique XI each time which is a record in itself. “It has been a mix bag of people getting injured, at the same time we playing suitable players , especially the bowlers. The priority is to win games. The batting order hasn’t changed much. The priority is to keep the same players, because we need to back the guys and keep them in the squad and practice. Injuries never feel nice, but the forced changes have come off really well.” He said.