26 November,2016 08:14 AM IST | | Santosh Suri
Virat Kohli has been the difference between the two teams, England captain Alastair Cook had said after the defeat in second Test at Vizag
Cheteshwar Pujara
Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara
Mohali: "Virat Kohli has been the difference between the two teams," England captain Alastair Cook had said after the defeat in second Test at Vizag. It is abundantly clear that India rely on their skipper to get the runs to set up a Test match for them. He, along with Cheteshwar Pujara, has been outstanding in the first two Tests. But, this is fraught with danger. What will happen if these two fail in a Test, with the other batsmen having failed to prove their form? Kohli and Pujara are batting like a dream. But when Pujara failed in the second innings, India barely managed to cross the 200-mark in Vizag.
Kohli's knocks helped
Also, thanks to Kohli's defiant knock in the second innings, India were able to be in a commanding position. The lack of runs from the likes of Ajinkya Rahane and KL Rahul, and the failure of Gautam Gambhir in the first Test has cast a shadow over the India team, especially as they have gone into the Test matches with only five front-line batsmen. That is always a risky proposition, though to India's good luck, Ravichandran Ashwin is emerging as a more than a competent batsman. Rahane seems to have lost the technique to tackle the spinning ball. He needs to rediscover his form, otherwise it will hurt India big-time if Kohli and Pujara fail.
Rahul's failure is a concern
Opener Murali Vijay has had one decent century, while Rahul failed in both innings in his comeback Test. With India adamant on playing five spinners, it is imperative that the batting line-up is in good touch. Despite the floundering batting, Kohli is confident of the team continuing the unbeaten run in Test matches at home during the last couple of years. "It's a challenge to repeat the same things the team has been doing for a while. But, I think, that is what professional cricketers are picked to do and that's something that we take as a responsibility. We need to make sure we put all things in place for us to give ourselves the best chance of winning a Test match," Kohli said.
