"Wriddhiman Saha is absolutely fine; bowling combination should adjust to fluctuating Mumbai weather" - Virat Kohli

Back from his break, Team India captain Virat Kohli confirmed that wicketkeeper-batter Wriddhiman Saha has regained fitness for the second Test against New Zealand starting Friday in Mumbai. He also highlighted the need to pick a bowling combination that can adjust to both sunny and gloomy weathers.

The 37-year-old Saha played a defining 61* off 126 balls in the second innings in Kanpur. But he couldn’t keep wickets for most of the first Test owing to a stiff neck, with KS Bharat donning the gloves in his absence. However, Virat Kohli all but confirmed the Bengal keeper would retain his place for the second rubber.

“Wriddhiman Saha is fit as of now and he has recovered from the spasm in his neck, so he is absolutely fine,” Kohli said on Thursday at the pre-match press conference.

With incessant rain lashing Mumbai yesterday and the Wankhede surface having a tinge of green, India might have to rejig their three-spinner strategy.

“About the combination, we will now discuss a little, there are weather changes and the change in conditions because of that, we have to keep that into account. And we will discuss our team combination based on that, it’s important to discuss the conditions you are going into play.

"But at the end of the day, you can’t assume the weather will stay the same for all five days. So if it changes also, what is the bowling combination which can adapt to both situations, that remains a core decision. And then we come to a common decision and understanding that everyone agrees to the combination, and usually that combination takes the field,” the Indian captain added.

Though the Indian team have been practising at the Bandra Kurla Complex and the Wankhede pitch was under covers for the whole of yesterday, Virat Kohli had no hesitation in admitting that Mumbai will offer more pace and bounce as compared to other subcontinent venues. He further opined that the strip would have something for batters and bowlers alike.

"It looks like a typical Wankhede wicket, we expect it to have some nice bounce. There’s value for all kinds of bowlers at the Wankhede and when you bat well, you can get runs as well. So I think it’s a great wicket for good cricket, and as I said, all skillsets are in the play all the time. Which is a great position to be in, because then you know that you can utilise your resources very well and the team that does it better has more chances of winning the Test match. So you go in with the knowledge that you can utilise your bowlers – whether it be fast bowlers, spinners, whoever it is – and your batsmen can find value in playing good shots, in being solid at the crease and still believing you can score runs.

"Even if the situation is difficult, you can very well play a really good knock from there on because the pitch allows you to do so. I think this is a pitch which demands a lot of discipline, but at the same time, the rewards of that discipline are also much higher in percentage compared to some of the other venues where spin might be dominant and the fast bowlers don’t come into play. But on the Wankhede, I don’t think that’s ever been the case and I know for a fact, all the bowlers – especially in red-ball cricket – they really enjoy playing at the Wankhede and bowling on the pitch and batsmen of batting here," Virat Kohli elaborated.

India and New Zealand played out a tantalising draw in Kanpur, with the last Kiwi pair thwarting India’s spinners and surviving 52 deliveries. With four World Test Championship (WTC) points each in the kitty, the teams would look to take full honors in Mumbai.

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"Have to speak to the individuals & approach them in a way where you explain things to them properly" - Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli's boys thrashed England 3-1 in the last home Test series in Feb-Mar this year

It’s a privilege to be on the right side of making decisions, but it’s a tad critical if you have to make those decisions against your closest aides. Like, it wasn’t at all easy to make vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane warm the bench for two Tests on the 2018 South Africa tour or premier off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin for all four Tests in England this year.Virat Kohli revealed that more than coming to a conclusion, it’s properly communicating the same to the concerned individuals that holds the key.

“You have to obviously understand the situation of where the team is placed, you have understand where individuals stand at certain stages during the course of a long season. So you have to obviously communicate well, you have to speak to the individuals and approach them in a way where you explain things to them properly.

"And mostly, it’s been combination-based whenever we’ve done changes in the past, and we’ve explained to the individuals and they have understood the mindset behind going in with a certain combination. So it’s not a difficult thing to do when there is collective trust and belief in the group that we are working towards the same vision,” Kohli said in response to a Sportskeeda query.

With Virat Kohli walking into the playing XI, India's batting line-up will be shuffled. While it would be logical to drop Ajinkya Rahane after Shreyas Iyer's stellar performance, the thinktank might also be tempted to leave out Mayank Agarwal and shift the wickekeeper to the top of the order.

Kohli reiterated that while nobody wants to get axed, being professionals, players always put the team first and eventually come to terms with the larger goals.

“And along the line, there are ups and downs and we all understand that as cricketers or as sportspeople in general. So yeah, it’s never a thing that you can say that, ‘I am absolutely okay or happy about being told that the combination doesn’t allow me to play’. But that’s the dynamic of team sport, and at the end of the day, we all prioritise the team first and making sure that we take care of individuals along the way. And that’s something that we’ve done consistently as a Test team, that we have backed a set of players who have done the job for the Indian cricket team in the last 5-6 years.

"And we’ve maintained and we’ll continue to maintain that they are an integral part of the larger scheme of things, the core group of the Indian Test team, and they have been players we’ve relied upon on many occasions and they have done the job. It’s upon realising and being aware of what’s happening and then you find the right space and the right way to approach people, obviously along with the management, the coaching staff the discussions happen in a very rounded manner and decisions are taken after a collective set of ideas that come to the table and we all discuss any of the issues that we have to address to the team,” the 33-year-old explained.

India would want to win the Mumbai Test and finish on a high before the all-important tour of South Africa. The squad for three Tests, three ODIs and four T20Is will be announced after the Indian government gives a go-ahead amid the emergence of the Omicron variant in Africa.