Will India Refashion Test Philosophy To Fit Virat Kohli In Playing XI?

India-South Africa test series is set to finish in an incredible finale where both teams will be fighting for the Freedom Trophy. The 3rd test begins on 11th January with the series well-poised 1-1 after South Africa defeated India at the Wanderers in the 2nd test. 

With series on the line, India have a massive boost as captain Virat Kohli will be making his comeback in the playing XI after missing out in the previous test due to an upper back spasm. 

However, the question is, who will Virat Kohli replace in the playing XI? How will the management choose a player to bench to make way for the captain?

For the past four years, Indian test cricket has been run by a simple yet effective philosophy of playing five bowlers. In theory, bowlers win matches for the test teams and the results of the five bowler theory are there to see in the case of team India. 

The team management also backs veterans Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara a lot. Even though they haven't been at their best for a while, but every now and then, the duo manages to get India out of trouble with some crucial stands and individual knocks. 

Rahane in this series has scored 126 runs at an average of 31.5. He is India's second-highest run-getter after KL Rahul, who has scored 204 runs. Rahane is also the fourth-highest run-scorer in this series. 

Pujara has scored just 72 runs this series at an average of 18. 

Pujara and Rahane have combined to make 22% of the runs India have scored in this series. The duo also stitched a crucial 111-run stand in the 2nd test to put India out of trouble and set a competitive total for South Africa to chase. 

Now that Kohli will be back, will India bench one of these two batters, who have looked good while they have lasted in a low-scoring series on bowler-friendly tracks? Unlikely. 

The bowler-friendly track doesn't mean it has offered spinners equally as it has offered the pacers. Spinners have bowled only 63 of the 557 overs bowled in this series - 11%. Spinners have taken 3 out of 73 wickets fallen in the two matches. 

Only two spinners have bowled in this series - R Ashwin and Keshav Maharaj. Ashwin has bowled 43 overs and taken the three wickets fallen to the spinners. However, what Ashwin has done well is the holding job; he has conceded only 2.65 runs per over while Maharaj has gone for 3.6 in his 20 overs. 

The quality that Ashwin brings suits well for India's philosophy of playing five quality bowlers. The off-spinner has contributed with the bat as well, scoring 80 runs while batting at number 7 with a strike rate of 93. 

What it means is, the likely candidate that will be benched is Hanuma Vihari. What has he done wrong? Nothing. He has scored a total of 60 runs, including a 40 not out in the 2nd innings in the 2nd test, the only test he played this series where he replaced the Indian captain. 

The argument for Vihari's place and benching Ashwin is that he can also do the holding job since he is a handy off-spin bowler - 3.13 eco, but there comes the Indian team's philosophy of quality over quantity. 

India is happy playing five quality bowlers who can win them test matches than batters who help them in drawing the match. 

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India's Probable Playing XI - KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant, R Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami, Ishant Sharma/Umesh Yadav