While the entire cricketing spectrum is anxiously waiting for the Border-Gavaskar trophy to kick off, the series will lose a bit of charm as Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli will return back to India after the first Test to attend the birth of his first child in January. The Australian greats are seeing it as an opportunity for the hosts to win back the trophy after losing the previous series 1-2 against Kohli & Co.
Former Australian skipper Allan Border, who is one of the most respected Australian cricketers, has made a unique suggestion by asking Kohli to have his baby in Australia so that they can claim him to be an Australian. Not just that, Border also extended an invitation to the Delhi batsman to play for Australia.
“We were thinking he might think about having his newborn baby here because we can claim his offspring as Australian,” Border jokingly said during a media interaction. With Kohli set to return to India after the first Test, Border reckons it’s a big advantage for Tim Paine & Co.
The one thing that is in Australia’s favour is Virat Kohli playing only the first Test. I think that is a big OUT for India. He is irreplaceable at the moment as a batsman and a leader. Should be 2-1 to Australia,” Border said while also predicting the result of the series.
Kohli has won praise from all corners by becoming a modern-day record-shattering machine and some of his best performances have come against Australia. With his in-your-face attitude, Kohli has managed to silence the Aussies on the field on many occasions. Expressing his fondness for the Indian captain, Border added that Kohli’s leadership had a major role to play in Team India’s positive mindset.
Leading the Indian team on the last tour Down Under, Kohli created history by becoming the first Asian skipper to register a series triumph in Tests on Australian soil. While his absence would be a big factor, it has been reported that Rohit Sharma, who himself has a fantastic record as captain, could lead Indian cricket team in the remaining series.
Rohit has been rested for the ODI as well as T20I series against Australia. On Thursday, he started his fitness training at the National Cricket Academy and is expected to fly to Australia soon with senior pacer Ishant Sharma, who has also been training at the NCA after sustaining an injury during the recently concluded Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020.
Source: Times Now
