I will only play if I am 100 percent fit: Virat Kohli

Learning from past mistakes where players have broken down midway through a game, the Indian team under coach Anil Kumble has made it a rule to field a player only if he is 100% percent fit. There is an uncertainty over the fitness of skipper Virat Kohli who injured his shoulder during the third Test at Ranchi and today in the pre-match conference he admitted that he will play only if he is fully ready.

Leading into the game he has just taken throw downs from coach Kumble and missed the net session yesterday and this morning as well, which suggests he is not certain about the recovery of his shoulder just yet and doesn’t want to strain it further. BCCI to cover up for him called up Mumbai batsman Shreyas Iyer in the squad and he has joined the squad in Dharamsala today.

Talking to the media ahead of the match Virat said that they have set a particular process in place and the rule applies for all the player, he is no exception. “When we put these things in place, the first thing I said that I am no different from anybody else. The same process applies for me as it does for all the other members of the team. There is no special treatment for anyone.

He will undergo a fitness test on the morning of the game and the decision on his participation will be taken based on that. “If I am 100% fit for the game, it is the only condition when I will take the field. If I go through the fitness test, then I will take the field,” Kohli said.

Team India physio Patrick Farhat doesn’t want to rule the skipper out of the game and so has given him some more time before taking the final call. “It’s very different from competition. The physio wants to give it some more time till I can test myself and we might take a call tonight or tomorrow. I think we have to give it that much time more to make a call with the physio,” he said.

The series is at levels 1-1 after three matches and Virat’s participation will be crucial for the game, though he hasn’t fired with the bat yet in the series his presence in the dressing room and on the field makes a lot of difference in the energy of the team and the intent with which they go about the task.

“Of course you want to push yourself to be fit. At times you also have to understand where your body stands. It is not an injury caused due to lack of fitness, it is an impact injury. All those things need to kept in mind. That is why I am saying we need to give it a bit more time, before I can make the call with the physio,” Virat said.

I will play only if I am 100 percent fit, says Captain @imVkohli on the eve of the fourth Test against Australia #INDvAUS pic.twitter.com/u2Y0UqDhOp

— BCCI (@BCCI) March 24, 2017