New Delhi: Veteran off-spinner Harbhajan Singh believes one of the best ways for the Indian cricket staff to cope with Virat Kohli’s absence after the primary Test in opposition to Australia is to forget about it. He feels that Kohli’s absence is a great opportunity for the likes of Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, and Cheteshwar Pujara.
“Virat Kohli is coming back after the first Test but this open the window of opportunity for someone like KL Rahul, who is coming back in the Test team. Virat Kohli is a big player and he has scored runs whenever he has toured Australia, his absence will be missed but this is an opportunity for players to step in,” Harbhajan was quoted as saying to Sports Tak.
“Virat Kohli’s absence should be seen in this manner. KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara are big players and they have an opportunity to prove themselves. I think Team India has it in them but the fact that Virat Kohli is there or not should be forgotten. The team should just remember that they are in Australia to win and repeat what they did the last time,” Harbhajan said.
Making its comeback to international cricket after more than eight months, India are all set to face Australia, the test series is scheduled to start on November 27. The two teams will lock horns in three T20Is, three ODIs and four Test matches. Kohli will be leading the visitors in the white-ball series and first Test. India will have a new captain for the final three Test matches.
Kohli will return to India after the first Test at Adelaide. He will miss the last three Tests of the four-match series. Virat has been granted paternity leave by the BCCI as he and his wife, Anushka Sharma, are expecting the birth of their first child in January 2021.
