Virat Kohli wants top order ‘cemented’ in Windies Tests

Having juggled Murali Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul as Test openers for the best part of two years now, India have dropped the veterans – Vijay and Dhawan – for the series against the Windies, opting to try out the 18-year-old Prithvi Shaw as Rahul’s partner at the top.

Mayank Agarwal, the 27-year-old Karnataka batsman, has also been called up to the squad, although he found no mention in the 12 released by India on the eve of the first Test in Rajkot.

India are playing their first Test since the 4-1 loss in England, where the openers blew more cold than hot, and ahead of the trip to Australia later this year, the hope is to settle on a pair.

“Apart from top of the order getting cemented, I don’t think, with these two Tests, there’s a lot that we’re looking at,” Kohli said in Rajkot on Wednesday, 3 October. “The rest of the things feel quite settled. It’s just that at the top of the order, these guys are new, and they’ll take some time to get into it.

“They definitely have the skill set, they are supremely talented, and what we’ve seen of them is very, very exciting.”

While India performed impressively in the tour of South Africa in January and the subsequent trip to England, the No.1-ranked side in the MRF Tyres ICC Test Rankings lost both series.

Kohli believed a lot of that was down to the batting, and more specifically, contributions from the top and lower order. “We know as a team, and everyone on the outside also knows, the areas we need to improve on,” he said.

“If you look at sides that win Test matches, contributions at the top and contributions at the lower order are more crucial than the guys who bat in the middle. Whatever happens in the middle, it’s connected to either what the top order or lower order does. The reason why England won against us is because their lower order showed more resistance.”

Kohli was also asked about his horses-for-courses approach – the fourth Test in England at the Ageas Bowl was the first time under Kohli’s captaincy (39 matches at the time) that India fielded an unchanged XI.

Critics have said the approach drains players of the comfort and confidence that comes with the knowledge that their place in the side isn’t hinging on one performance, but Kohli launched a staunch defence of his policy.

“Obviously, you need your best XI on the park. There is no doubt about that,” he said. “Most of the changes we’ve made has been in bowling combinations, and people have very conveniently taken that as otherwise. The bowlers who have sat out have never felt ‘we’ve been hard done by’ or ‘this has been unfair on us’.

“We’ve hardly tinkered with the batting order apart from a couple of guys not being in form here and there. We’ve utilised the conditions to a maximum – wherever we’ve gone, we’ve been able to pick up wickets, because of the fact that we’ve played people who are suited to those conditions.

“(It’s not about) wanting to do something different every game – nobody wantsto do something different every game. It’s all about what’s in front of you and according to that, the best option to take 20 wickets every game. That’s been our motive.”

Kohli also spoke of “feeling rejuvenated again” after the break – he was rested for India’s victorious Asia Cup 2018 campaign – and said there was a need to ensure players are well rested with the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 fast approaching.

“I definitely needed the break because my back went once in South Africa. It went again in England,” he said. “Looking at the World Cup, I think it’s very important to consider. To give players ample rest and opportunity to train well and come back stronger. You don’t want guys breaking down at very important stages.”