Virat Kohli insisted that he will only take the field for the fourth and final Test against Australia in Dharamsala if he is completely fit. In the press conference ahead of the match on Saturday, the Indian captain said that the same rules apply to everyone in the team when it comes to fitness.
“I will only play if I am a 100% fit,” Kohli, who injured his shoulder while fielding in Ranchi, told reporters. “If I get through the fitness test, then I’ll play. We will take a call later tonight or tomorrow.”
Kohli had injured his right shoulder in the previous Test as he dived to save a boundary. He was off the field for almost two whole days, but came in to bat. Mumbai batsman Shreyas Iyer was called in as a back-up for Kohli on Thursday. Kohli had skipped the nets session in Dharamsala on Thursday to rest his shoulder.
Talking about the drawn Ranchi Test, Kohli disagreed with Australian captain’s Steve Smith’s evaluation that they had the momentum. “We have a lot more positives to take away from the game than negatives,” he said on the match that ended in a draw after Australia’s Shaun Marsh and Peter Hadscomb batted out the final day.
Meanwhile, Kohli also addressed the much-talked about off-field issues that have plagued this India-Australia series. “These things [criticism] don’t matter. I have always said what I wanted, I don’t have regrets,” he said. Kohli has drawn much flak, especially from the Australian camp, for his comments in the press conferences after the last two matches.
Watch the full conference here
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