Virat Kohli
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Monday granted Indian skipper Virat Kohli a paternity leave to be with his wife Anushka Sharma for the birth of their first child which implied that he will return home to India after the first Test match against Australia in Adelaide, which begins on December 17.
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.”
Waugh, nevertheless, feels that this India-Australia battle will be like a "heavyweight title fight".
“It’s a bit like a couple of years ago when India won without (David) Warner or (Steve) Smith in the side. You really want to win against the best possible opposition, particularly when this is like the heavyweight title fight,” he said.
He even added that Kohli's absence does not make the Indian's side less competitive as he pointed out KL Rahul, Jasprit Bumrah and Ajinkya Rahane as players to watch out for.
“They’re a dangerous opponent even without Kohli and I think it's going to be a tightly contested series. I don't think there will be much between the sides,” he said.
