JOIN US Virat Kohli didn’t miss Ishant Sharma, who was serving one-Test ban, much in the first Test where Umesh Yadav and Varun Aaron, India’s two pacemen for the match, sent down just 20 overs between them. With conditions appearing not too entirely in favour of spinners here at the Chinnaswamy, Kohli was more than happy to welcome the Delhi paceman back in the 11.
“With Ishant coming in, he brings in a lot of experience,” said the Indian captain. “He's bowled well in sub-continent conditions, knows how to reverse swing the ball, can lead the pace attack. The combination can or will change according to the conditions. So I would rather have a guy who will give me control in an important time in the game rather than someone who will just get the overs out of way. There is a change in mindset there as well. I'm very delighted that Ishant is back. The way he is bowling and the way he bowled in Sri Lanka brings a lot to the table,” he offered.
Kohli was also mighty impressed with the performance of M Vijay and Cheteshwar Pujara, perhaps the only two batsmen, apart from AB de Villiers in the first innings, who were able to negotiate the Mohali pitch. Together, the two accounted for more than 57 percent of India’s total runs (401) for the match and made difference between winning and losing.
“We all are very proud of both of them, the way they batted in the last game,” Kohli said. “We can learn a lot from them, the way they applied themselves… The batsmen didn’t apply themselves (in the first Test) as much as we wanted to as a batting group and we are aware of that. I think they kept us in the game throughout and that is very important I think, two guys standing up in each innings. Their contributions in both the innings were very crucial to us. It is always a good feeling to know that you have two guys in front who know how to score runs and who know what they are doing out in the middle. It is always a very calming influence in the change room,” he explained.
Kohli was also happy with the way Pujara has shaped up after a brief hiatus from playing 11.
“Vijay has been so consistent for us, (but) Pujara has made a tremendous comeback. He is willing to play at any position and give the team the kind of flexibility. That is a great attitude to see from both of them, looking to improve each other and stringing in those consistent performances which are indeed making the team win. I am really happy about that and I hope they can continue in the same way.”