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'If you see the way Vihari has bowled he has looked like picking up a wicket whenever he comes to bowl. He's pitching the ball in the right areas so we are looking at him as a solid bowling option right now'
Ravichandran Ashwin's "similar injuries" on two successive away tours is a cause of concern and the off-spinner should "focus" on course correction, India captain Virat Kohli said on Wednesday, drawing parallels with his own injury management.
Ashwin has not taken part in the current series after bowling 86 overs in the first Test in Adelaide and since then has been laid low by left -sided abdominal strain.
While Indian team management kept Ashwin in the final 13 and officially announced that a call will be taken on Thursday morning before the start of the match, Kohli made it clear that all is not well with the Tamil Nadu off-spinner.
"Well, it's unfortunate that Ashwin has had two niggles quite similar in the last couple of away tours (England and now Australia). He, more than anyone else, will be focused to correct this," the skipper said on the eve of the final Test.
"The physio and the trainer have spoken to him in terms of what's required (from him) in order to get over that injury. He is very important for sure. In Test cricket, he is a vital part of this team and we want him to be 100 per cent fit and for a longer period so that he can contribute to us more in the Test format," Kohli in his own way let media know on where he stood on this issue.
"He (Ashwin) is very disappointed with the fact that he has not been able to recover in time, but the things have been laid out to him (as to) what needs to be done to get back to full fitness. Honestly, you can't predict an injury. When it happens, you just manage and doing what you can to get over that injury," the skipper said.
"Ashwin's absence does make you alter plans a little bit throughout the course of a series. But the fact that Hanuma Vihari has bowled beautifully whenever we have given him the ball makes us feel absolutely calm about Ashwin not being able to play," Kohli said.
"But, if you see the way Vihari has bowled he has looked like picking up a wicket whenever he comes to bowl. He's pitching the ball in the right areas so we are looking at him as a solid bowling option right now. Especially in this Test because he has pace on the ball, he puts in the effort, he's economical and that's all you need from a guy who is coming in to bowl 10-15 overs in a day," the skipper reasoned.