NEW DELHI: India’s cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar aka Master Blasted recently expressed the view that captain Virat Kohli’s departure will leave a “void” for India in their Test tour of Australia, but added that it will hand a golden opportunity to a younger player.
Before returning home for the birth of his first child, Kohli will only lead the side in the first of the four Tests, starting in Adelaide on December 17,
There has been a debate that’s floating in the cricketing circles calling for Kohli—who’s currently India’s skipper in all three formats— to hand over some of his captaincy duties permanently.
Tendulkar did not comment about the debate but strongly opined that India’s “bench strength” would help as they bid to win a second straight Test series win in Australia.
“When you lose an experienced player like this (Kohli) there is without any doubt a void,” Tendulkar, the record run-maker and former India captain told AFP in an interview.
“But let’s understand, this is not about individuals. It is about our team and the best part about Indian cricket right now is there is bench strength,” added Tendulkar.
“So Virat has to come back for personal reasons and some youngster is going to get a chance to play in his spot and that’s an opportunity for someone else.”
Nevertheless, Kohli’s duties would be given to the willow yielder Ajinkya Rahane, and numerous cricketers have retorted positively regarding the same.
Ian Chappell, former Australian captain has found Ajinkya Rahane to be a “fabulous captain” and expects that his “aggressive style” will suit the Indian team which would fancy its chances against a David Warner-less hosts in the first Test in Adelaide from December 17.
“Well, I saw him captain in one Test against Australia (in Dharamsala in March, 2017) and found his captaincy to be fabulous. He was really an aggressive captain,” Chappell spoke to media.
Of all the nine batsmen in Australia’s Test squad, only a couple — Travis Head and Time Paine — have played an India attack comprising both Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami at the Test level.
With India captain Virat Kohli hinting on Tuesday that he may not play all of the all-format regulars like himself, Bumrah and Shami, in the second warm-up due to workload management, both Cameron Green and opener Joe Burns who are also part of the Australia ‘A’ side, could be denied some important practice against India’s frontline pace bowlers ahead of the four-match Test series.
Green, on Wednesday, touched upon the challenge of facing a bowler like Bumrah due to his unique action but also added that he will get used to his bowling after facing him a few times.
“I will be facing them (India attack) in a couple of days’ time with the pink ball (in the second warm-up at the Sydney Cricket Ground). So that will be another new challenge for myself and a few other guys. I have never faced them before. He (Bumrah) is obviously a world class bowler, got a unique bowling action. So you take some time to get used to him, his skills are world class so you have to take your game to another level really and work really hard against him. It will get easier the more you face him…so that is the attitude that I will be taking in this game,” said Green while speaking to the media on Wednesday.