New Delhi: According to Indian skipper Virat Kohli, all-rounder Harikd Pandya might make his India Test debut in the first match against Sri Lanka on Wednesday. Virat praised his wicket taking abilities on all kind of tracks as well as his brilliance with the bat to justify his selection.
It was India’s loss to Sri Lanka in the first Test match in 2015 which proved to be learning lesson for skipper Virat Kohli. India had lost the match when they went in with 5 specialist bowlers in the playing XI. However, with inclusion of Hardik Pandya in the current squad provides more balance as he is equally capable in both the apartments.
"Last time, we felt we probably were a batsman short and the fifth bowler did not do much in the game. We have those options again, but we have great balance in the side as well. We have got a guy like Hardik Pandya, who is a wicket-taking bowler. Every game that he plays, on any surface, he has a knack of picking wickets. He has a great chance of playing as well," Kohli explained.
He referred how Stuart Binny's small contributions became important in next two Tests that India won.
"In the next two Tests on that 2015 tour, we played an all-rounder (Binny) and that made all the difference. The extra batsmen would give us more solidity. We have taken learning from that and we will surely apply those straightaway in the series instead of getting a feel of how things will go. You need to have your best strike bowlers in order to pick up 20 wickets," Kohli added.
India will be missing services Lokesh Rahul, who is down with viral fever. He is expected to be available later in the series but for now, Shikhar Dhawan will partner with Abhinav Mukund at the top.
"Rahul is an established player and he has done very well for us in all formats over the past year. He is a very solid player, but these kinds of scenarios present opportunities to other players in the team to step up and show what they are capable of.
"They can have a solid performance and stay with the team for a longer period and get more chances to play in the future. So, our players look at these scenarios as opportunities and it is a great opportunity for Abhinav or Shikhar to string in a strong performances again," said the skipper.
Kohli had words of encouragement for Rahul, who is just coming back after a shoulder surgery.
"It is difficult to keep the players positive when they are injured. I have also been injured recently and it's a not a nice feeling. The only thing you can do is to accept the reality and know what needs to be done. There is not much you can do apart from doing rehab and all those sort of things.
"This (viral fever) is not an injury (for Rahul) and I am sure he is not that disappointed. He has had a major surgery and he has been able to comeback. So three-four days more will not make a difference to him because he batted well really in the practice game and he is really looking forward to step back on to the field," he added.