Captain Kohli does not mind revealing his moves against Sri Lanka ahead of Test series

Virat Kohli doesn't beat around the bush. He believes in talking straight. And, unlike his predecessor Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the Delhi lad isn't keeping his cards close to his chest, says a report in the DNA. 

According to the DNA report, ever since the build up to the Sri Lanka tour, Kohli has revealed his moves one by one. From his belief of playing with five bowlers (Dhoni would always play with four bowlers) to winning matches to giving a hint of fielding three spinners (R Ashwin, Harbhajan Singh and Amit Mishra) on the spin-friendly tracks of Sri Lanka. With his latest revelation of having an impact batsman like Rohit Sharma to bat at the most important slot – No. 3 – instead of showing faith in the reliable Cheteshwar Pujara, who is off colour these days.

“One can easily guess what the playing eleven would be when the Indian team locks horns with Sri Lanka in the first Test in Galle starting on August 12. In Dhoni's time, it was difficult to guess the combination till the toss. Kohli's approach is not just positive, but also a refreshing change from how it was. Even when he was appointed the captain in absence of Dhoni in the first Test in Australia, he was still trying to get the feel of leading the Test side by following Dhoni's set up. In the fourth and last Test in Sydney, by which time Dhoni had announced retirement from the longer format, Kohli had got an inkling that he will lead the side, thereby giving him the confidence,” says the DNA report.

Meanwhile, Ishant Sharma has fired a shot in the direction of Kumar Sangakkara ahead of the three-Test series starting in Galle on August 12, saying he “will go hard” at the retiring Sri Lankan batsman.

According to a report in The Indian Express, Ishant said, “He is playing for his country and I am playing for my country. We played together only in the IPL and this is international match. So I will not think that he is playing his last game, I will go hard at him.”

Talking about his wicket-burst, the bowler added, “It was a pretty good spell. But more than wickets, if you get overs in your bag, that’s more important in the practice game. That gives you confidence. Maybe on Saturday after lunch we can bowl for two sessions and get more overs in. Then we have two more days in the nets before the first Test. So we should be able to do enough before the Test.”

According to a report in Jagran, Ishant said, “A major difference here from India is the ball. They also leave some grass on the wickets here so the ball is seaming and swinging a bit. As you can see we also lost three wickets quickly in the second innings and they also lost quite a few wickets. So, the new ball is important and after that how consistent you are with the old is going to make a huge difference.”