Why Virat Kohli should play six batsmen in the first Test against Australia

It is rightly said that if one wants to win a Test match, one must have the bowling attack to take 20 opposition wickets. The Indian Test team has done this very well in their last two overseas series.

The bowlers have performed exceedingly well for India in both South Africa and England. However, the team has been badly let down by its batsmen, barring the honourable exception of the captain extraordinaire, Virat Kohli.

Thanks to the collective batting failure, especially at the beginning of the two aforementioned series, India started on a wrong note by losing the first Test. The first Tests against South Africa and England were competitive affairs and could have gone either way.

In the absence of a genuine all-rounder, India could have benefitted by the presence of an extra batsman in those two matches. One could always argue that an extra batsman would mean one bowler less, and that could come in the way of the ability to take twenty opposition wickets.

Considering both sides of the argument, it is certainly a tricky choice for the captain to select his playing XI. However, in a high-profile series such as the upcoming one against Australia, it is probably better to err on the side of caution. Going down in the first match of a four-match series will mean that India will have to play catch up for the rest of the series, something that India unsuccessfully did in the two previous away series.

Hanuma Vihari - England v India: Specsavers 5th Test - Day Three

The choice for the sixth batsman could be from among Rohit Sharma and Hanuma Vihari. Having Hanuma Vihari at number six would mean that even though India goes with four front-line bowlers in the Adelaide Test, Vihari could be trusted to roll his arm over for a few overs, just the way he did in the last Test against England at The Oval. On an Adelaide pitch which could assist spin, Vihari’s inclusion could pay rich dividends.

On the other hand, Rohit Sharma has been in stupendous form in the limited overs format. Though he has struggled in overseas conditions, it has had much to do with the swinging conditions rather than the pace. In Australia, he is not going to have to negotiate swing.

His strong back-foot play and the ability to play horizontal shots could make him a great selection. Also, if he succeeds, that is excellent news for the Indian team in the long term, as he is the kind of player who can win you matches on his own, as he has amply demonstrated in the limited over formats over the years.

Either way, it would be wise to start the four-match Test series on a cautious note, as aggression does not always pay – something that we, unfortunately, found out in the two previous away series in South Africa and England.