File photo of Virat Kohli (left) with Ajinkya Rahane.
Virat Kohli is at the peak of his career as far as his batting is concerned but off late there has been undue pressure on the 33-year-old captain to let go leadership for the likes of Ajinkya Rahane and Rohit Sharma.
In Kohli's absence and India's underwhelming batting show in the first Test, the Indian side, led by stand-in skipper Rahane, scripted a remarkable comeback to clinch the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. After Rahane's brilliant show in Australia, many fans backed the Mumbaikar to don the skipper's hat, at least in the longest format of the game.
Former England skipper Nasser Hussain though feels that such pressure will only get the best out of the Indian captain as he will have a point to prove and believes he has a team at his disposal to make it happen.
"Kohli might have a point to prove with everyone talking about Ajinkya Rahane’s captaincy in Australia," Hussain told Daily Mail. "England have got a chance, absolutely, the way they’re playing. The brand and style of cricket Joe Root and Chris Silverwood have put together has made them much better away from home. But, make no mistake, this and Australia away are the two hardest challenges for an England side. They will need to start well."
The 52-year-old retired cricketer further added that England will pin their hopes on English captain Joe Root to set the platform for the side but worried of England's deficiencies against spinners.
"Root will need big runs again because you can score 400 as a side in the first innings in India and still lose. India are very strong but Ravindra Jadeja’s injury is a massive blow. We saw England struggle against left-arm spin in Sri Lanka. I’m also concerned about left-handers against Ravi Ashwin," he said.
