Five debatable selections under Virat Kohli in Tests
The selection of the playing XI in cricket is a quite tough task. It becomes more trickier in Test cricket where the conditions keep changing over the five days and no set pattern of play is involved unlike in the limited-over formats. The nature of the pitch is also an important factor when the captain decides the personnel for the given match. In spite of all the factors, the core of the strong Test teams remains the same across different conditions.
The Indian Test team under Virat Kohli is a bit different when it comes to selections. Ever since Virat has assumed the mantle of leading India in Tests, he has not repeated the playing XI in the consecutive Tests. The team has achieved tremendous victorious run at home under his captaincy, but, have faltered in away tours despite being in a position to dominate the game on numerous occasions. There have been a few debatable selection calls with the terms current form, gut feeling, horses for courses, turning the match in a session, etc. more dominant over the conventional patterns of selection. Here is a look at such selections and their impact in the outcome of the match/ matches.
#1 Karn Sharma ahead of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja
Against Australia, Adelaide, 9-13 December 2014
In his debut Test as India captain as a stand-in for Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Virat Kohli made a very surprising move to select debutant Karn Sharma in the playing XI ahead of the established spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. Karn was not effective conceding runs at a high economy rate and could manage to pick just four wickets. Australia piled on the scores of 517/7d and 290/5d as India fell short of the victory target of 364 runs by a small margin of 48 runs despite the twin centuries from the skipper Kohli. Ashwin replaced Karn for the remaining three Tests of the series.