Pujara last played for India against Australia in the 'Boxing Day' Test at Melbourne but since then have been out of favour in the last four matches. Kohli also indicated that rookie Karun Nair may also be tried out.
"Looking at these conditions, the reason behind getting someone like Karun Nair in was, we can have Cheteshwar Pujara open. He is pretty solid, and with the new-ball he has opened in the subcontinent before. I remember a couple of Tests where he has opened for India. That was the whole idea behind it," Kohli said at the post-match press conference after India's thumping win in the second Test here.
In the end, the Indian skipper reaffirmed his faith in this young team and highlighted its ability to be flexible as a big asset going into a series-deciding match.
"We will try to stick to the same batting line-up. You need to figure out who's playing well at that point and who can handle a particular position well. I think for a player it is important to figure out who could perform better at a position at that stage. I was talking about that flexibility we have in our batting order.