Kohli delighted to have Ishant back in the fold

India

India captain Virat Kohli said on Friday that he is delighted that he will have fast bowler Ishant Sharma available for the second Test against South Africa, starting in Bangalore on Saturday.

Ishant will return to the side after serving a one-match suspension for over excessive celebrations in the final Test on the tour of Sri Lanka in August.

Kohli said having Ishant in the team was important as the paceman has vast experience of bowling in Indian conditions and can generate reverse swing with the old ball.

Speaking to reporters, Kohli said: "With Ishant coming in, he brings in a lot of experience. He's bowled well in sub-continent conditions, knows how to reverse swing the ball, can lead the pace attack.

"The combination can or will change according to the conditions. I would rather have a guy who will give me control in an important time in the game than someone who will just get the overs out of the way. I'm very delighted that Ishant is back.

"We are just trying to figure out, according to the pitch, and conditions, who will be doing more of the bowling and at what stage in the game. The way he (Ishant) is bowling and the way he bowled in Sri Lanka, brings a lot to the table.

"It is not just about the spinners. We have quality seamers as well. We saw that in Mohali. For those two to rush the batsmen on that sort of a wicket, takes a lot of heart, takes a lot of effort.

"So I was really happy to see that personally."

India lead the four-match Test series against the Proteas after beating the visitors by 108 runs in the first game in Mohali.

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