After all, Virat took the bouncer of the questions: Indian captain said – I do not need to prove anything, will play in the third test

Team India captain Virat Kohli appeared in front of the media for the first time on the South Africa tour. He did not make any statement on the captaincy controversy. He spoke openly on the current Test series and his batting form. In terms of fitness, Virat gave good news and said that he will play in the third match.

Virat said- This is not the first time that questions have been raised on my batting. This happened during the tour of England in 2014 as well. I know that I have been a part of very important moments of the team. Over the past year as well, I have been a part of many important partnerships for the team. I believe in the fact that I do not need to prove anything to anyone. It is not important to me what the outsiders say.

Siraj is not match fit
During the second test match, fast bowler Mohammad Siraj suffered a strain in his ‘hamstring’. Kohli said about his fitness – Siraj is still recovering. They just don’t quite fit. I don’t think we should bet on a fast bowler who is not 110% match fit. However, Virat did not specify who would replace Siraj in the next Test. He said that he, the coach and the vice-captain would take a decision in this regard.

Virat further said- At present we have a good group of fast bowlers. We get into thinking that who should be given a chance in playing XI and who should not. To be honest, I am very happy with it.

playing too much cricket causes injury
Virat was also questioned about the fitness of Indian players. Virat said- It should not be forgotten that we are playing too much cricket. We want to field our best team for all the international matches. But, keeping in mind the amount of cricket that happens now, it is not uncommon for some players to get injured every now and then.

Ashwin did well in Jadeja’s absence
Before the start of the Test series, Ravindra Jadeja could not make it to the South African tour due to injury. According to Kohli, it is unfortunate that Jadeja got injured. However, R Ashwin has done well in this series so far. Ashwin has proved over the years that he can play anywhere in the world as a spin bowling all-rounder. He has also played important innings with the bat in recent times.

Rahane and Pujara may get a chance again
Responding to a query regarding the batting order, Virat said that Rahane and Pujara have played many important innings in difficult situations. It is okay that Shreyas Iyer and Hanuma Vihari have performed well when given the opportunity. But, Tablidi should be natural in the batting order. It should not be forced. Kohli’s statement has raised hopes that both Rahane and Pujara may get a chance in the third Test as well. Both of them scored half-centuries in both the innings of the Johannesburg Test.

Rahul captained well, Pant will learn from mistakes
Virat described KL Rahul’s performance as captain in the second test match as good. He said- Rahul did a very balanced captaincy. He tried his best to take wickets, but South Africa played well. Not much can be done as a captain in such situations. Regarding Rishabh Pant’s bad shot, Virat said that Pant had a talk during practice. Our job as cricketers is to reduce mistakes and repeat them as little as possible. Virat also shared a lesson from Dhoni. He said- Dhoni told me at the beginning of my career that there should be a gap of at least 7-8 months between two mistakes. I hope Pant will also continue to improve in this matter.