Batting legend VVS Laxman believes the absence of Virat Kohli for the major part of the upcoming Test series against Australia is a chance to find a new hero for Team India.
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The battle for the prestigious Border-Gavaskar Trophy will kick-start with the pink-ball affair at the Adelaide Oval on December 17. Melbourne will host the second Test from December 26 while the third and fourth Tests will be played in Sydney Cricket Ground (January 7-11) and Brisbane's Gabba (January 15-19), respectively.
Kohli will miss the last three Tests due to the birth of his first child. The Indian captain and his wife Anushka Sharma are expecting a child in January, and he has been granted permission by the BCCI to return home after the Test series opener.
“Virat Kohli is a nemesis for the Australians. If you see his record, it is second to none on Australian soil. As a captain and as a world class batsman, he has always batted with authority against Australia in their own backyard. So definitely, there is no doubt that India will miss the impact of Virat, but I think this could be an opportunity for someone else to step up,” Laxman told Sportstar.
“That’s the beauty of international sport. When some big player - in this case, it’s Virat - misses out, it is an opportunity for some other players to step up and showcase his talent and I hope that there will be some other hero who will emerge in the series,” he added.
Under Kohli’s leadership, India won their maiden Test series on Australian soil in 2018-19 and Cheteshwar Pujara was the hero with the bat in that series.
“Last time, in the batting unit, it was more of Pujara and Virat, and in bowling, it was a combined effort. I am hoping that there will be a new hero, who will emerge in the absence of Virat in this series,” Laxman remarked.
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, cricket is being played in a bio-secure bubble with everybody associated with the series and tournament undergoing several checks for the virus.
While Laxman acknowledged the challenge of staying inside the bio-bubble, he is confident that the Indian players will embrace this challenge.
“There is no doubt that living in a bio-bubble is a challenge for anybody. But the way the players have handled that in the IPL, I am confident that they will embrace the challenge because they know that representing the country is the biggest honour,” he said.
