File photo of Virat Kohli (left) with KL Rahul.
India's tour of Australia was off to a worst start possible with Virat Kohli and Co. conceding the first two games by big margin to lose the ODI series 0-2 with a match to go. Since the IPL 2020 ended, the focus solemly has been on the four-match Test series, which starts from December 17 in Adelaide, especially with skipper Kohli's absence in the last three Tests.
With Kohli going on a paternity leave to be with his pregnant wife Anushka Sharma, it was imperative for Team India to gain momentum in the limited-over series before the star Indian batsman departs. The series now is in jeopardy from India's point of view with the fans worrying how will the team cope up with their star performer leaving while the chips are down.
Former Australian skipper Michael Clarke adressed the issued during a show on India Today TV and backed KL Rahul and Ajinkya Rahane to fill in for Kohli.
“There are probably two sides to Virat, one is the captaincy part and the other is the batting part. Who is going to bat in place of Virat. KL Rahul is very talented, there is no doubt about it. I think he is experienced, playing in these conditions before. He can do it,” Clarke said.
“But Virat Kohli’s boots can never be filled by anybody. I love Jinx (Rahane). He is a great player. His captaincy is pretty good.
“Tactically, he is a very good captain and it’s going to be good for India. You have got to see it as an opportunity. You have got to try and create history,” Clarke added.
