Kuldeep and Chahal might be preferred in Tests as well, reveals Virat Kohli

The Indian team got off to a great start in the three-match ODI series by winning the first ODI by 8 wickets at the Trent Bridge on Thursday. The hosts struggled once again to pick Kuldeep’s googlies and got all out for 268 in 49.5 overs, in which Kuldeep ended up achieving his career-best figures of 6/25. In reply, India never really felt the pressure and finished the match in 40.1 overs with Rohit Sharma hitting a ton. 

After the exceptional display with the ball, Kuldeep was quick to express his desire to squeeze into the Test squad and the skipper also revealed that he has been tempted to play Kuldeep and Chahal in the longest format now.

“There might be a few changes in the Test series. The way the English batsmen have struggled against Kuldeep and Chahal, we might be tempted to play them in the longest format,” said Kohli in the post-match interview on Thursday.

“If we look at it from the series perspective, we want to win the next game. The weather has been lovely. The atmosphere has been very welcoming and we are looking forward to the tough tour that lies ahead,” added Kohli.

Trent Bridge has been a high scoring ground because of its pitch and field dimensions. The English team had recently scored a mammoth total of 481/6 in 50 overs against Australia at the same venue. And, Kohli had a different and clever take on it, which eventually helped India better their odds in the venue.

“We made a tactical decision considering the dimensions of the ground and the breeze flowing into the shorter boundary. In longer formats, you need impact players. Rohit batted well and got us to the finish line.” revealed Kohli.

Kulcha had a great impact in South Africa as well, where they had picked up 33 wickets in the six ODIs that India played. Kohli also spoke about the importance of the duo mentioning the impact that they have had since day one.

“These two wrist spinners have been performing well since they have come in. They did it in South Africa as well and remain as our key weapons,” said Kohli.