It is very difficult to pick two openers from the three: Virat Kohli

The Indian skipper Virat Kohli has admitted that it would be difficult to choose the opening combination for the first Test match against Sri Lanka. Murali Vijay has returned to the fold after being on the sidelines for more than six months. The competition is now between him, KL Rahul and Shikhar Dhawan for the two available slots at the top of the order. However, Kohli conceded that one of the three has to miss out and also cleared that all the three cannot play in the star-studded line-up.

Vijay played the Test series against Australia with a fractured wrist which kept him away from cricket since then. In his absence, Shikhar Dhawan came back into the team and won the Man of the Series award against Sri Lanka when India toured the nation in August earlier this year. KL Rahul has been one of the preferred openers but he is enduring a poor form albeit in the limited overs format. It remains to be seen if India go back to their preferred combination or Dhawan manages to keep his place after a brilliant show against the same opposition.

Kohli not sure who will play

Virat Kohli cleared that the team hasn’t finalised on the opening combination yet and said that it would be tough to pick two out of three when all of them are doing well. “That situation [opening combination] has always seen the balance swing, now and then, between two guys doing well and one missing out: it happened with KL [Rahul] initially and then with Shikhar [Dhawan] in the middle. Now, with KL and Shikhar doing well, it is very difficult to pick two out of the three, when all are so good,” he told the reporters during the pre-match presser.

Vijay seems all set to return to the side as the team management would want to give him some time in the middle before the all-important tour of South Africa. He will surely walk into the team during any Test match overseas as he has performed previously away from home. Dhawan too may continue given his fluency and attacking skills at the top. But KL Rahul has also warmed up nicely for the series with a well-made 92 in the ongoing Ranji Trophy season. But as of now, it seems that he might be the unlucky player to miss out for the first match at least.