Team India captain Virat Kohli has boarded the flight for India on Tuesday morning, leaving his team to combat strong Australians in the remaining three Test matches. Before flying, Kohli reportedly addressed his teammates to motivate them after a debilitating defeat in the opening match of the four-match Test series.
Virat Kohli has taken paternity leave to be with his wife Anushka Sharma, who is expecting the birth of their first child in early January. Ravi Shastri had earlier said that Kohli would have returned to play the last Test match after his childbirth but because of the mandatory 14-days quarantine that could not be possible.
“Kohli has left Australia today morning. He had a word with the whole unit before leaving and the idea was to boost the confidence of the boys and keep them positive. He officially handed over the mantle of captaincy to Rahane and asked the team to keep showing intent and express themselves on the pitch. With Rohit Sharma set to join the squad only after the second game, Rahane’s role becomes all the more important in guiding the youngsters,” the source said.
Virat Kohli return opportunity for others:
Virat Kohli is undoubtedly a huge contributor with the bat. He played a gritty knock of 74 runs when Australian bowlers were bowling beautifully with pink ball in Adelaide. He might have also registered the century had there not been a mix up between Ajinkya Rahane and him.
Apart from his batting, he also brings a lot of energy and intensity to the field. A lot of banter and verbal confrontation is witness which boosts the confidence of the team. However, it is unlikely to be seen in the remaining of the matches.
His absence is surely going to create a huge gap in the team although India has talented players who can trouble the Australians. It will be interesting to see who steps in to take the responsibility.
Meanwhile, India and Australia will play the second Test match in Melbourne.