Kohli to lead India in Adelaide Test

Virat Kohli will lead India for the first time in Tests after it was confirmed that MS Dhoni will miss the Adelaide Test starting tomorrow due to a thumb injury. This is the first Test Dhoni will miss since the Adelaide Test in January 2012. The injury means the back-up wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha will get to play his third Test.

Dhoni had been left out from the first Test, originally scheduled to begin on December 4, to allow him time to recover from a hairline crack on his right thumb. India did not want to risk aggravating the injury with the World Cup near. However, with the Test pushed to December 9, there was much speculation over whether he would play, having had five extra days to recover.

Incidentally, Kohli will make his captaincy debut at the same venue where he had scored the first of his six Test tons till date; on India's previous tour to Australia, Kohli had been one of the few positives for the team, scoring 116 in the first innings at the Adelaide Oval. He has played 29 Tests overall so far, averaging 39.46.

Saha had also played that 2012 Adelaide Test, two years after his debut match against South Africa in Nagpur. Wicketkeeping duties aside, he had shown decent touch with the bat in two warm-up games the Indians had played before the Tests, scoring two fifties.