Ashwin, Sharma ruled out
India skipper Virat Kohli was undaunted Thursday despite losing prolific spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and batsman Rohit Sharma to injury as he looks to twist the knife in the second Test against Australia.
The visitors went 1-0 in the four-Test series after a tense, 31-run win in Adelaide earlier this week -- their first victory in Australia in a decade.
But India, who are searching for their first series win in Australia, suffered a setback when Ashwin and the experienced Sharma were declared unavailable for the second Test in Perth, starting Friday.
Ashwin is receiving treatment for a left-sided abdominal strain, while Sharma jarred his back while fielding in Adelaide, the Board of Control for Cricket in India said.
However, Kohli was bullish about India's prospects in the inaugural Test at the new Perth Stadium, which has replaced the city's venerable WACA Ground as its premier cricket venue.
"We are definitely confident of the percentage of chances we have and we want to build on that," said Kohli at a pre-match press conference before the injury problems were announced.
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