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Captain Virat Kohli, in a pre-match press conference, revealed a change in the playing XI for the third and final Test match in Cape Town which will be played on Tuesday (January 11).
Virat Kohli first of all confirmed that he is fit to play the next match. However, he further confirmed that Mohammed Siraj has been ruled out with a hamstring injury and a discussion will take place on who will replace him for the third Test.
“I am absolutely fit. Mohammed Siraj is not match-ready for the Cape Town Test and You cannot risk playing a fast bowler. We will have a discussion today and decide on who will come in. We have so many options and something that I am proud of,” Virat Kohli said at the pre-match press conference.
Siraj had incurred a hamstring injury during the second Test against Dean Elgar's men at the Wanderers in Johannesburg.
India are yet to name a replacement for the seamer. Although, Siraj's ouster has paved the path for Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav who are in the setup, and both will be equally handy at the Newlands track with the red ball.
The 33-year-old also hailed team's pace attack by saying ‘we’re confused before every match on who to play'.
“When I took over, we were no.7 Test team and now we are No 1 for the last four-five years. I laid down a vision and a path to follow. We had to play with high intensity every day, every match to stay at that level. We have such a good pace attack that we are confused before every match on who to play. We take a lot of pride in that. Our Test performance is down to our pacers,” he added.
Virat when asked about the injury woos said, "We have been playing a lot of cricket. It is important to manage workload and that is you see a few niggles in players every now and then".
On the other hand, Virat's presence in the Cape Town Test also puts Hanuma Vihari's spot in jeopardy. In the last Test, Hanuma scored 20 off 53 in the first innings and followed it up with 40 not out off 84 in the second innings.
Meanwhile, on middle-order transition, the skipper reckoned to leave it unfold naturally and not force anyone.
“I can’t talk about transition. It cannot be forced. If you look at the last Test, the way Pujara and Ajinkya batted is priceless for us. These guys have done the job for us in the past. You saw that in Australia. I feel transitions do happen, it will. I think we should leave it unfold naturally and not force anyone,” he added.
Both South Africa and India are well prepared for the final frontier in the Test as the Virat & Co. is chasing a historic feat in Cape Town Test. They will look to end the Test series win drought South African soil by claiming the series 2-1.
