5 selection headaches for Virat Kohli before the 1st Test

Problem of plenty in India’s bowling

Will Mohd. Shami make a comeback into the Indian playing XI after 15 months?

As of now, only R Ashwin and Ishant Sharma are the ones who are certain to be in the playing XI for the first match. Who will complete the Indian bowling attack?

Among the pacers, skipper Kohli has quite a few options to choose from. In the past, Kohli has used the likes of Umesh Yadav and Varun Aaron to assist Ishant. With Mohammad Shami returning from injury, Kohli has a big task in choosing the right bowler to partner Ishant.

Umesh Yadav and Shami will be fighting for the role of the second pacer and if Kohli decides to go in with 3 pacers (which is unlikely), then Stuart Binny’s name pops out as an all-round option and the all-rounder might get the nod alongside Ishant and either Umesh or Shami.

As far as the spinners are concerned, R Ashwin is the only bowler who is assured of a place in the starting XI. If Kohli decides to go in with three spinners, then both Jadeja and Amit Mishra will be in the XI. If it’s just two spinners, Mishra might get the nod ahead of Jadeja.