India are set to receive a much-needed boost with the return of regular captain Virat Kohli in the side for the second and final Test against New Zealand in Mumbai starting on Friday (December 3). Kohli, who had not featured in the three-match T20I series and also in the first Test in Kanpur, will be back as the leader of India to play his first match under the guidance of newly-appointed head coach Rahul Dravid. Kohli's presence in the side is certain to strengthen the Indian middle-order which has been struggling for runs as the experienced Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane have been out of touch.
The weather in Mumbai - it has been raining for the last two days - may help the seamers initially but if India bat first, trust Kohli to come out with a positive intent. The Indian captain had been training with former India batting coach Sanjay Bangar at the CCI in Mumbai in the lead up to this Test.
"It was just to stay in the rhythm of playing red-ball cricket. The idea was to get repetition and volume which is important in Test cricket, so it is just about getting into the mould of switching between formats. This is something I have always tried to do. Whenever I get the opportunity to work on setting up for different formats, it is more so mentally than anything related to technique," said Kohli in a virtual press conference on the eve of the series decider.