Internet Desk: India skipper Virat Kohli believes young all-rounder Hardik Pandya has a great chance to make his Test debut for the side in the three-match Test rubber against Sri Lanka as he has a knack of picking wickets on any surface. Pandya is a part of the 16-men Test squad and he has a high chance to wear the white jersey during the Test series.
“We got a guy like Hardik Pandya, who has a knack of picking wickets. He has a great chance of playing as well. That gives us the balance. The extra batsman gave us more solidarity. We have taken learnings from that and we will surely apply that straightaway into the series. It is very important to have your strike bowlers to be able to pick up wickets,” said Kohli at the pre-match press-conference at Galle.
On being asked about if there is any possibility of using Rohit Sharma as an opener, Kohli replied, “Rohit has never opened in a Test cricket and we don’t see that kind of experiment happening here because we have specialist openers in the team and they will obviously be starting this game.”
Kohli is also confident that KL Rahul would make a comeback from the second Test who is down with a fever.“Rahul is unfortunately down with fever. Luckily, it is not anything serious. So he will get back in a few days. KL is a very established player for us, a very solid player. These kinds of scenarios present other players in the team with an opportunity to step up,” he said.
“It is very different sitting here after two years from those series two years back. We are able to build on that culture, mindset in the last couple of years. I think we have built a very good base for us as a team. We don’t see any series as a launch pad but for playing consistently. We realise what needs to be done. We are humble in our preparation. Next phase of cricket for us is going to be challenging but we believe we have the kind of skills available to face the challenge.”
Virat is confident ahead of facing the Lankan’s on their home soil and they just need to do some fine tunings in small areas. “I don’t think there are any areas of concern for us. We have been looking to fine tune smaller areas during the course of the game. We have given responsibility to the players to identify those areas.”