Exclusive: Kohli has got his template set, says Mohammad Kaif on India's playing XI

The selection debate is out in the open after the exclusion of spinner Ravichandran Ashwin from the playing XI against England in the first Test match at Nottingham. But Kaif believes that Kohli is in a "happy place" at the moment.

Hyderabad:India former batsman Mohammad Kaif credited skipper Virat Kohli of making the right calls in the first Test match against England and believes that the management shouldn't tinker with the current combination unless a player gets injured.

The selection debate is out in the open after the exclusion of spinner Ravichandran Ashwin from the playing XI against England in the first Test match at Nottingham. But Kaif believes that Kohli is in a "happy place" at the moment.

"I think like Kohli said that he has got his template set. He is going to be playing four fast bowlers and one spinner. And that one spinner (Ravindra Jadeja) he picked in the last game did well. He got runs and he bowled a few overs. I think Kohli is in a very happy place," Kaif told Etv Bharat.

The Indian cricket team during a practice session

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Spinner R Ashwin boasts staggering figures in Test cricket with 413 wickets to his name at an average of 2.80. The second-ranked bowler led India against Australia on pitches that had not much to provide for spinners, but he picked Steve Smith at crucial junctures. In WTC final against New Zealand, he dismissed four batsmen, proving his quality on foreign pitches.

But it's the batting cushion provided by Ravindra Jadeja that sometimes goes against Ashwin's selection in the playing XI.

Kaif agreed with Virat's selection and praised him for making the "right calls" as every player did well in the first Test match.

"Generally, you see the management try their best to pick their best XI. In the last Test too, everyone performed well. He (Kohli) made some great calls in the last game," the cricketer-turned-commentator said.

However, Kaif cautioned that Kohli might get in "trouble" if all rounder Shardul Thakur is out of the team. He reasoned that India don't have any fast bowling all rounder to support the other three pace bowlers. Shardul's injury and his ouster due to it was know after this interview.

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"In the second test if everyone is fit, Kohli is most likely to play the same team. If somebody is injured, then he is in trouble because there aren't many all rounders. If Shardul's doesn't play, we don't have too many fast bowling all rounders. As of now, he has set the template and got the combination right," the 40-year-old former right-handed batsman said.

Thakur has been ruled out of the second Test, beginning at Lord's on Thursday, due to hamstring injury.

"Shardul Thakur is not available for the second Test," a Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) official told the media on Wednesday.

Indian skipper Virat Kohli said that Thakur will be available for the third Test. "From what we were told, he should be okay for the third Test. I think it is a myofascial strain on his left hamstring," said Kohli to the media.

When and where to watch the second Test between India and England?

A. Watch England vs India - 2nd Test, LIVE from 3.30 pm IST on SONY SIX (English) & SONY TEN 4 (Tamil & Telugu) channels from August 12, 2021

By Ayushmaan Pandey