India captain Virat Kohli (right) and England skipper Joe Root pose with the Test series trophies 
Sports

All eyes on Kohli’s choice of players

The toughest four months of Virat Kohli’s eventful leadership career start here on Wednesday when his strategic acumen will be tested while selecting a perfect Indian combination to take on Joe Root-led England in the first Test of a five-match series.

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Kohli announced his playing eleven for the World Test Championship final against New Zealand a couple of days before the match and drew flak for not respecting the conditions. However on Wednesday, he will have to think overtime about the balance of his squad with a long tail, often bushy with runs, and just two regular openers -- Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul.

Hanuma Vihari’s handy off-spin, along with that of automatic choice Ravichandran Ashwin, could pave the way for Shardul Thakur’s entry as the bowling all-rounder in place of an experienced Ravindra Jadeja.

Kohli will also have to choose three from the pace quartet of Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj.

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