Former Australian cricketer Michael Clarke says that ‘India can celebrate for a year if they can beat Australia without Virat Kohli. Indian skipper Virat Kohli has granted Paternity leave by BCCI and will return to India after the 1st Test match against Australia.
The four-Test match series has scheduled to begin from December 17 after the conclusion of limited-overs matches.
Michael Clarke Praises Kohli
“There are probably two sides to Virat, one is the captaincy part and the other is the batting part,” Clarke told IT. “Who is going to bat in place of Virat. KL Rahul is very talented, there is no doubt about it. I think he is experienced in playing like these conditions before. He can do .”
While Clarke feels that Kohli is irreplaceable, India do have pretty good options.
“But Virat Kohli’s boots can never be filled by anybody. I love Jinx (Rahane). He is a great player. His captaincy is pretty good. Tactically, he is a very good captain and it’s going to be good for India. You have got to see it as an opportunity. You have got to try and create history,” Clarke said.
India can celebrate for a year – Reason
“If India can beat Australia at Australia’s own backyard without Virat Kohli, you can celebrate for a year. That will be an unbelievable win,” he added.
Kohli’s absence though weakens India’s claim but Clarke says their players should be confident to take on the might of Australia in order to return home with a win.
“I think that’s the way Indian players have to look at it. They have to believe they are good enough to take on and beat this Australian team,” Clarke said.
Earlier, Clarke had said for India to have any chance of beating Australia in Tests, Kohli will have to set the tone before returning home otherwise they can very well suffer a 0-4 whitewash.
