Injured Kohli misses final test against Australia

DHARAMSALA, India (Reuters) - India captain Virat Kohli was ruled out of the fourth and final test against Australia shortly before the start of the match on Saturday with a shoulder injury he had suffered in the previous match in Ranchi. "He had said in the press that he will only play if he's 100 percent fit, that has not been the case. So unfortunately he missed out," India's batting coach Sanjay Bangar told the official broadcasters at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium. Kohli hurt his shoulder while diving to stop a boundary in the drawn third test in Ranchi and was seen fielding at close-in and throwing with his left hand. Ajinkya Rahane will lead India in Kohli's absence in the crucial final match of the four-test series which is level at 1-1. Kohli came into the series having registered a double century in each of the preceding four series but has since struggled with the bat, managing 46 runs in five innings. In his pre-match media interaction, Kohli said the team was good enough to do well in his absence. Counterpart Steve Smith also backed Rahane's leadership, saying he was impressed how the Mumbai player led in Kohli's absence in Ranchi. (Reporting by Amlan Chakraborty in Dharamsala; editing by Sudipto Ganguly)