Team India puts win on top of the presents list to hand Virat Kohli in his 100th Test

Tribune News Service

Deepankar Sharda

Mohali, March 1

As India take on Sri Lanka in the first Test starting Friday, all eyes will be on the charismatic Virat Kohli. The match, to be played at IS Bindra PCA Stadium, will be the 100th Test for the former India skipper. Vice-captain Jasprit Bumrah said that a win would be the perfect gift for Kohli.

Spectators allowed

Meanwhile, the BCCI on Tuesday said the match will be played with spectators. As per the BCCI directive, only 50 percent spectators will be allowed to watch the match, adhering to Covid-19 protocols. Earlier, the match was to be played behind closed doors, a decision taken in view of the Covid-19 cases in the region. However, The Tribune had carried a report on Monday citing a dip in number of positive cases. The sale of tickets is likely to start on March 2. Tickets will be sold only online.

“It’s another feather in his (Kohli’s) cap,” said Bumrah. “I just wish him the best and congratulate him for the achievement. If the Indian team wins, then there is no better present than that. But he, as a cricketer, would like to give his best,” added the pacer, who had made his Test debut under Kohli’s leadership in 2018.

Bumrah asserted that playing 100 Test matches for India is a testimony of Kohli’s greatness. “It’s always a special achievement for a player. It is a testimony to his

hard work and dedication. Playing 100 Test matches for the country is a great occasion and he has contributed a lot to the success of the Indian team and will contribute a lot more in the future as well,” he said.

Kohli will become only the 12th Indian to play 100 Test matches for the nation. Kohli, who made his Test debut against West Indies at Kingston in 2011, has scored 7962 runs in the format. Kohli, who has been training in the city for a couple of days, spent about 40 minutes in the nets on Tuesday.

‘Ashwin in good shape’

Bumrah also hinted at the inclusion of off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin for the first Test. Ashwin had last played for India in the ODI series against South Africa in January. He has been recovering from an injury. Since last week, he has been training in the nets. “Ashwin is shaping up well. He looked good and did everything in training today — batted, bowled and fielded. Hopefully, there won’t be any issue,” said Bumrah.

However, Bumrah did not share the team combination, saying it was too early. “We just had a look at the track and it is too early to say about the team combination. There could be a lot of changes. Right now, we don’t have a combination in mind. We had an optional session today, everybody was looking good and everybody was looking in touch, so that is a positive sign for us and we will try to hopefully make out a plan soon,” added Bumrah.

Assisting captain Rohit

The vice-captain said that he will try to assist captain Rohit Sharma in the best way he can. This will be Sharma’s first series as India’s fulltime Test captain. Sharma will be facing an uphill task to rebuild India’s middle-order in the absence of veterans Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane.

“I will try to give my best in whatever capacity I can. But for me, I don’t think any position should matter or a bowler or a batter makes a difference, it depends on how you handle the situation,” Bumrah said.

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