Praising Punjab's Gurkeerat Singh for his recent run of form in domestic cricket, Indian Test skipper Virat Kohli today said the batting all-rounder "brings balance" to the side and certainly fits into the future scheme of things in the senior team
Bengaluru: Praising Punjab's Gurkeerat Singh for his recent run of form in domestic cricket, Indian Test skipper Virat Kohli today said the batting all-rounder "brings balance" to the side and certainly fits into the future scheme of things in the senior team.
Gurkeerat Singh and Virat Kohli
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Gurkeerat, who bats right-handed and is an off-spinner, was drafted as the 16th member of the side last evening after being kept as a reserve fielder during the Test match in Mohali.
"He (Gurkeerat) has earned his call-up. He certainly fits in scheme of things and don't be surprised if you see him
playing soon. I wish him all the luck. I can't put a particular time when but he has ability with the bat at that No.6 or No.7 position. He is a very dangerous, instinctive player, who can take the game away from opposition," the skipper was generous in his praise for Gurkeerat, who has been a premier performer for India A during this season.
"He (Gurkeerat) is also bowling well but he is primarily a batsman. He is working very hard on his bowling. He has earned this call up. Because, these type of cricketers bring balance that is very important to the team's cause as we will be playing a lot of Test matches in the sub-continent in next year and half.
"It will be very important for us to have guys like Gurkeerat, who can provide the balance for us as Stuart (Binny) did it in Sri Lanka. Their contribution with the bat and then coming to bowl getting a couple of wickets is very important to us," the skipper explained the logic behind Gurkeerat's late inclusion in the side.
The skipper also expressed his delight at having Ishant Sharma back in the playing XI but at the same time praised Umesh Yadav and Varun Aaron for bowling 20-odd tight overs during the Mohali Test.
"I'm very delighted that Ishant is back. The way he is bowling and the way he bowled in Sri Lanka brings a lot to the table. With Ishant coming in, he brings in a lot of experience. He's bowled well in sub-continental conditions, knows how to reverse the (old) ball, can lead the pace attack.
"As I mentioned before, the combination can or will change according to the conditions. So I would rather have a guy who will give me control in an important time in the game rather than someone who will just get the overs out of way. There is a change in mindset there as well.
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