The hosts, who lead the three-match series 1-0, made one change to their starting line-up from the previous win on Sunday.
Paceman Umesh Yadav comes in for Hanuma Vihari.
"On this surface, the ball will eventually turn here on day two and three, so day one will be the best time to bat," Kohli said ahead of his 50th Test as captain.
"With the grass on the pitch and the reverse option on this track, we needed a new seam option. Vihari misses out unfortunately and Umesh Yadav comes into the side."
South Africa also made one change to their XI, handing paceman Anrich Nortje his Test debut as Dane Piedt sits out.
Skipper Faf du Plessis said there was hope for the tourists if they bowl well in the first innings.
"I was saying to Virat before the toss he must teach me the magic trick he uses to win the toss in India," du Plessis said with a smile after losing his sixth successive away toss.
"If you bowl really well in the first innings, you can take days four and five out of the equation. We're bringing in Nortje for Piedt, so just a bit of extra pace here. I think he'll be happy at making his debut on this pitch."
Teams
India: Virat Kohli (capt), Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Wriddhiman Saha, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami
South Africa: Faf du Plessis (capt), Aiden Markram, Dean Elgar, Theunis de Bruyn, Temba Bavuma, Quinton de Kock, Vernon Philander, Senuran Muthusamy, Keshav Maharaj, Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada
Umpires: Chris Gaffaney (NZL), Nigel Llong (ENG)
TV Umpire: Richard Illingworth (ENG)
Match referee: Richie Richardson (WIS)