Pitch to offer something for all: Kohli

Mar 24, 2017 - 9:33 AM Asked for an opinion on the Dharamsala pitch that will help determine their Test series decider, India skipper Virat Kohli made it sound more like an Australian track than something produced in his homeland.

As intrigue continues to build regarding the XI the hosts and Australia will roll out for the fourth Test that starts on Saturday, Kohli acknowledged there will be plenty of bounce in the deck.

"It's a very good cricket wicket, it's always been very good for the batsmen to get in and get value for their shots," Kohli said.

"And the bowlers as well, they're always in the game and there's good bounce for the spinners.

"There's good pace off the wicket for the quicks as well, so if you do any discipline well you can reap rewards on this kind of wicket.

"And the ball travels in the air also, so it's an opportunity for both bat and ball to dominate at different situations in the game."

There is speculation swing specialist Bhuvneshwar Kumar could be recalled by the top-ranked Test side, while the visitors are yet to rule out the prospect of picking Jackson Bird.

Paceman Bird has been on drinks duty throughout the tour but the surface may prompt on-duty selector Mark Waugh and coach Darren Lehmann to pick him at the expense of either Steve O'Keefe or Nathan Lyon.

"There is some grass out there, it still looks pretty dry underneath," Australia skipper Steve Smith said.

"It will take a reasonable amount of spin as the game goes on, I think first-innings runs are going to be crucial.

"We'll wait and see. I'm not really sure how the wicket is going to play.

"I thought the wicket at Ranchi wasn't going to play very good last week and it played very well, so I am not very good at assessing wickets."

Kohli, who has hit the headlines throughout the acrimonious series, was keen to move on from the various spats and allegations of recent weeks.

"If you want to write something good or bad, it's your own personal choice," he said.

"I'm not going to sit here and say write good things about me or write bad things about me.

"Everyone has their own conscience to sleep with at night and the same applies to everyone.

"I have faced these things in my career."

Source: AAP