Virat Kohli had already informed the BCCI about his wish to return to India to as he and wife Anushka Sharma are expecting their first child in January.
Pat Cummins file image. (Photo by JEREMY NG / AFP)
Australia speedster Pat Cummins has said that he was “not sure” if Virat Kohli’s absence from the last three Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy will “be a deciding factor”. The Indian skipper will return to India on a paternity leave after the first Test.
“To be honest, as a captain, obviously he’ll be missed but the Indian cricket side always finds some incredible batsman, who (are) outside the team, just waiting for an opportunity. So maybe that new opportunity will be the beginning of someone else’s career,” ICC quoted Cummins as saying.
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“It might make a bit of a difference. I am not sure it’s gonna be a deciding factor in the series but to be honest, us players haven’t spoken too much about it,” he added.
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During India’s 2018-19 tour of the Down Under, the visitors had managed to win the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after beating Australia 2-1 in the Test series. The upcoming tour will provide India the opportunity to win two back-to-back Test series in Australia for the first time.
“We have got a lot to prove. India played really well here a couple of years ago. We as an Aussie cricket team, and as long as I have grown up watching them play, (we) pride ourselves on winning at home, especially Test matches. So to lose that one, I feel like we have to make amends this summer.
“It’s gonna be a great series. Both teams I think are at the top of the Test Championship table at the moment. It’s going to be a high-quality series,” Cummins added.
India’s tour of Australia will kick off with the ODI series from November 27. It will be followed by the three-match T20I series from December 4 before the Virat Kohli-led team begins the title defence of the Border-Gavaskar trophy with the pink-ball Test in Adelaide from December 17.
The first Test at Adelaide will be India’s first day-nigt Test outside home soil. It will also be skipper Virat Kohli’s only appearance in all-whites in Australia this time as he would return to India on a paternity leave after the opener.
Kohli had already informed the BCCI about his wish to return to India to unite with his wife Anushka Sharma. They are expecting their first child in January next year.
The day-night Test will be followed by Tests at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (December 26), the Sydney Cricket Ground (January 7) and the Gabba (January 15).
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