Preview: England's focus seems to be only on Virat Kohli – and that might work in India's favour

In the 19 Tests he has led India in, Virat Kohli has never picked the same XI twice. On occasion, it was by coincidence, particularly in the beginning of his captaincy. Then, it became more of a design, as he picked teams based on conditions and requirements against any given opposition.

Horses-for-courses has been his mantra, whether playing at home or overseas. Usually, the permutations are restricted to the inclusion of an extra batsman or a fifth bowler. But, of late, injuries have played a part. Rohit Sharma has been unavailable, and Kohli has emphatically played five bowlers in both Tests.

Coincidentally, then, just as Jayant Yadav looked to be stabilising things, Wriddhiman Saha strained his thigh. And voila, for the 20th consecutive Test, captain Kohli will field a different playing XI.

Whole new world for Parthiv

It means nothing to this young bunch that has progressed together over the past three-to-four seasons, and has consequently become accustomed to this chop-and-change ploy. The spotlight as such will be on Parthiv Patel. The last time he played Test cricket was in 2008. Since then a lot has changed on the face of this planet, even in world cricket to be precise. Let us keep it to Indian cricket for context.

His captain from back then is now the team’s coach. A whole chapter of Indian cricket – MS Dhoni’s Test captaincy – has passed by. The thinking of this team has changed, from the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Anil Kumble, to Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane and Ravichandran Ashwin. The very understanding of the game is different, if not progressive, and the pace at which it is played too, perhaps.

It is not to say that Patel hasn’t kept abreast of the changing times. He does feature regularly in the Ranji Trophy and the Indian Premier League, still inducing the baby-faced charm every time the camera pans to him. But he is 31 years old now, and the only familiar name from that 2008 team sheet is Ishant Sharma. Simply put, Patel has to find it in himself to bridge this generation gap. Luckily for him, the dressing room atmosphere is very conducive for such an endeavour.

“Parthiv’s attitude has been great. I don’t see any nerves. He’s played enough cricket to understand this kind of position and situation. He’s pretty excited to be back and make a mark,” said Kohli on Friday.

Beyond this, the hosts shouldn’t be in any particular bother going into this third Test. After surviving in Rajkot, and winning in Visakhapatnam, they now have a ready template for beating England. It is a matter of consistency from here onwards, especially given the dry look of the Mohali pitch.

Prime concerns for England

For the visitors, injuries and pitch are two prime concerns. Throughout the first two Tests, Mohali was deemed the best chance of fielding their strong suite – a four-pronged pace attack. Stuart Broad is out injured and, well, the wicket warrants an extra spinner instead. Chris Woakes is fully fit and has been recalled to the playing XI.

Their other obvious move has been to include Jos Buttler in the team, ahead of the in-trouble Ben Duckett. The latter remains a player for the future, as skipper Alastair Cook vouched in the pre-match conference. At the moment, however, he is easy meat for Ashwin. Getting him out of the firing line is the best they can do. It means more responsibility for Moeen Ali and Jonny Bairstow, as the two batsmen are now slated to bat at Nos. 4 and 5.

Ali will have bowling duties, while Bairtsow will continue to keep wickets. Meanwhile, Buttler has played two red-ball games in the last three months, and comes into this match without adequate match time. The question to ask, for the English team management and their traveling media contingent, is if the selectors back home covered all bases adequately for a such an important tour.

Dual focus on Kohli

Instead, their dual focus is on Kohli. The team management is talking up tactics against the opposition’s prime batsman – in both form and stature. On Thursday, Woakes spoke of bowling an aggressive initial spell to the Indian skipper. Then, Cook highlighted the importance of the first 30 balls Kohli faces, with a subtle hint to 2014 thrown in. “For all the quality batsmen, that is the best time to get them out, before they can get in. We have seen it before,” said the English skipper.

Meanwhile, the visiting scribes have flamed allegations of ball tampering against Kohli, caught rubbing saliva on the ball in Rajkot (a normal practice). The claim is that the cricketer is guilty, much like Faf du Plessis in Australia.

“I don’t read the newspapers. I was told five days after the thing came out and I just laughed it off. I think it’s just to take the focus away from the series, to be honest. It happened in Australia when South Africa won the series,” said Kohli. “I’m surprised the issue, of what I’ve been told, came up in Rajkot but there was no mention of it until the game was over in Vizag. To me a newspaper article doesn’t matter over the decision of ICC. We as cricketers respect only that,” he added.

The dead-bat he played to this situation, ahead of the third Test, is noticeable. Like most aggressive batters – at the top of their game – Kohli likes to do the talking with his willow, on the pitch. If the idea was to rattle the hosts’ alpha player, then it has failed, just like it did with du Plessis down under. The South African stand-in skipper responded in brilliant style in Adelaide. Now, it is Kohli’s turn.