'It’s a good problem to have and I am not worried about it,' says Virat Kohli

Chennai: The biggest selection conundrum for India team director Ravi Shastri and captain Virat Kohli at the forthcoming Sri Lanka tour is picking the openers. All three potential candidates — Murali Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul — are in fine form.

Vijay has been the most consistent, while Dhawan struck form in the one-off Bangladesh Test in the absence of Rahul, who scored a brilliant hundred in the Sydney Test earlier this year.

Acknowledging the selection headache, Kohli said the problem of plenty was never bad.

“Opening is a spot that has been contested strongly. It’s a good problem to have and I am not worried about it. We might do well having three guys who are in good form rather than two who are not playing well. While Vijay has been solid at the top of the order, Rahul chipped in beautifully in Australia when Shikhar wasn’t performing consistently. Now that Shikhar has got runs, it’s just a matter of shift in the balance. Luckily, we have a warm-up game in Sri Lanka to decide,” said Kohli.

Opening might be a three-way tussle, but the captain gave enough hints that Rohit would be the straightforward choice for No.3.

“We figured out that Rohit is an impact player at No.3. The idea is to take him closer to his comfortable spot. He is someone, if he gets going, who would take a session away from the opposition. That could be the difference in winning us a Test match. He batted well in Australia and I think he should get more opportunities in the slot. He was happy getting that opportunity at No.3 rather than sitting in the change room,” added Kohli.

Dhawan, who ended his lean patch with a knock of 173 in the drawn Fatullah Test, feels the strong competition is a healthy sign.

“It’s good that we have to fight for places. It keeps us on our toes. Vijay is well established in Tests. Unfortunately, Rahul got sick in Bangladesh. I feel both are technically sound and that’s what makes our team stronger. For Vijay and I, Rahul is like our little brother. Whatever experience we have got, we like to share it with him,” added the Delhi batsman who is eager to see videos of Sri Lanka’s recent Test series against Pakistan.

When asked whether he is open to the idea of coming down the order if the team management wants him to do so, Dhawan said he would cross the bridge when it comes.

“I don’t know. This kind of situation hasn’t come in my career. I have been doing well as an opener, so I don’t think my captain will ask me to go down,” said Dhawan. 

For Rohit, who is yet to cement his spot in Test cricket despite starting his career in the longer format with back-to-back centuries against the West Indies at home, there is no preferred position.

“In the 10 Tests I have played, I haven’t batted at one given position. In Ranji, I was batting at No.4 for Mumbai. But for India, the captain is batting at No.4. I would bat wherever my captain wants me to play,” he said.