2nd Test: Virat Kohli says batting sorted, hints R Ashwin may not play

India skipper Virat Kohli has hinted that the team management wont shore up batting by bringing in R Ashwin as a replacement for injured pacer Shardul Thakur and will instead stick to the combination of four specialist pace bowlers and a spinner for the second Test that begins on ThursdayThakur who was picked for last weeks first Test due to his ability to bat has been ruled out of the second Test due to a myofascial strain on his left hamstringAshwin who has bowled well in recent times and can bat too may have been a suitable replacement He scored a century in the second Test of the home series against England in Chennai in FebruaryThe good thing is that Jadeja has got runs in the first Test already So he will go into the second game confident That already makes our batting a bit deeper Lower order contributed with the bat as well said Kohli to media on the eve of the second Test that begins on ThursdayShardul brings in more batting ability to the side But having said that from the batting point of view we are well placed because Pujara Jinks Ajinkya Rahane and myself Rohit and KL played very well in the first Test So we are comfortable with where we are placed as a batting unit and we dont feel we might be a batsman short if Shardul doesnt play added KohliThe 32yearold Kohli said the priority of the team is to pick 20 wickets of the oppositionFor us it is about finding that perfect balance But if someone like Shardul is not available we will definitely look at first how to pick 20 wickets and not try to plug in another guy who can give us runs with the bat We feel very comfortable with how the first Test went added Kohli of the possibility of fielding four pacers and a spinnerWith rain expected in the second Test it is unlikely India will play two spinners as they might not get as much assistance from the surface Kohli added that having four bowlers ensures there is continuous pressureFour fast bowlers mean that you can apply pressure through the day in every session You basically take field thinking that the fourth guy comes in and does the job of being very consistent We are definitely not going to underbowl anyone In a fourbowler combination you have to figure which bowler is most likely to give you breakthroughs and which ones are going to contain According to that you put them in priority added the 32yearoldThe guy who is more likely to contain then comes in and bowls spells which dont leak runs so that others can come back and get you those breakthroughs So we definitely like playing in that kind of template and we have never felt that when we have played four pace bowlers and underbowled anyone We have felt very balanced when we have played four bowlers pacers because we are constantly looking to create pressure and take wicketsAlso Read NCA clears Shreyas Iyer for competitive gamesThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever