Following their bashing in the first Test against Australia, A Virat Kohli-less Team India's first job would be to find confidence in the second Test that begins in Melbourne on Boxing Day.
Led by Ajinkya Rahane, India won't just have to leave the blues of last week's defeat behind but also gain momentum as soon as possible. And India's former batting star VVS Laxman feels this the time when new heroes can emerge in the series in absence of their biggest batting star in Kohli.
Laxman, writing in his column for Times of India, felt that current Indian players have had the experiences of playing around the globe and have shown enough time they can turn the match-winner and glimpses of that were seen in the first Test too before a freak of a session took the game away from the visitors.
“This freak occurrence should not define these players, who have played and performed enough times in all parts of the world. I am not saying dismiss what happened, but it’s imperative to put it in perspective. India had scrapped for six sessions to get their noses in front, only for a crazy 70-minute passage to undo the good work,” he wrote.
“Only a quarter of the Test series is over. With three matches to go, there is all to play for. This is a true test of the team’s character and mettle, more so with the captain and Mohammed Shami unavailable from here on."
“There is a great chance for new heroes to emerge, for men to put their hand up and rise to the occasion. It’s time to put Adelaide behind and target a fresh beginning,” Laxman wrote.
