Captain Kohli trains with Dravid's India 'A' for SL test

The spotlight will be on Test captain Virat Kohli as India 'A' go into the second and final unofficial Test against Australia 'A', in Chennai on Wednesday, looking for a series-clinching victory after first match ended in a draw last week.

Looking to get some vital match practice out in the middle ahead of the tough Sri Lanka tour, Kohli straightaway joined the India 'A' practice sessions on Monday.

He decided to play the match in order to get acclimatised to the conditions which are similar to that in Colombo, where he will lead the Indian team in a three-Test series, starting on August 12.

In the first unofficial test, the wicket at the M A Chidambaram stadium in Chennai was slow and low for all the four days with not much help for the bowlers resulting in a dull draw.

In the last few days, the groundstaff have been working hard on the pitch and with Kohli in the playing eleven for the hosts, the curator is likely to prepare a more balanced strip.

In the first match, Indian spinners Pragyan Ojha and Amit Mishra were the biggest gainers with match hauls of six and five wickets respectively, while opening batsman Lokesh Rahul (96 in first innings) made the most of the slow wicket. Cheteshwar Pujara, Vijay Shankar and Shreyas Iyer also chipped in with useful contributions.

However, skipper Pujara will have to make do without the services of Rahul, Mishra and pacer Umesh Yadav, who have been selected for India's Test squad which will take on Sri Lanka in the three-Test series.

"I don't want to divulge the playing eleven now but Rahul, Mishra and Umesh won't be available. I will open the innings and Jayant Yadav will come into the team," said skipper Pujara on the eve of the match, on Tuesday.

Without their services, the hosts would need to up their game a lot more if they hope to put it across the Australian outfit in the second match.

The visitors, on the other hand, would be banking on their strong pace attack and left-arm spinner Stephen O'Keefe, who claimed eight wickets in the first match.

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