Virat Kohli
Former England captain Michael Vaughan feels that the Indian Test side will be vulnerable in the absence of captain Virat Kohli for the majority of the impending red-ball series against Australia Down Under in December. Vaughan went ahead to predict an easy series victory for the Aussies.
Kohli has been granted paternity leave by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), a decision that was taken after a board meeting on Sunday. Kohli and his wife Anushka Sharma are expecting the birth of their first child in January.
Vaughan though supports Kohli for prioritising family before cricket, but feels that his absence will only make Aussies the favourite to reclaim the Border-Gavaskar series.
"No @imVkohli for 3 Tests in Australia .. The right decision going to be at the birth of his first child .. but it means Australia will win the series quite easily IMO .. #JustSaying," he tweeted.
Australia had lost the trophy in the 2018/19 series at home, their first to an Indian side in the format at their own backyard.
Former Aussie skipper Steve Waugh admitted that he was a little disappointed and surprised over the news of Kohli's absence from the majority of the Test series.
Waugh feels that this series could have been a career-shaping contest for Kohli, but did understand the need to prioritize the family.
“I’m a little bit disappointed he’s not going to be there and a bit surprised,” Waugh told AFP.
“This was really shaping up as one the key series of his whole career after he’s achieved just about everything. But obviously family comes first.”
