Former captain Michael Clarke expects Australia to whitewash India in the upcoming Test series if visiting skipper Virat Kohli doesn’t set the tone in the white-ball games before his departure.
Kohli will miss three Tests in the upcoming Australia tour 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.
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.
“These One-dayers and these Twenty20s is where Virat Kohli can really stand up and lead from the front,” Clarke said on ‘Sky Sports Radio’ on Tuesday.
“If India don’t have success in the One-dayers and the T20s, they are in deep trouble in the Test matches and they’ll get smoked 4-0, in my opinion,” he added.
Clarke reckons that despite featuring in only one Test, Kohli could still play a key role in the outcome of the red-ball series by dominating in the limited-overs fixtures.
The three ODIs will be played from November 27 to December 2, while the T20I series will be held from December 4 to December 8.
“I think the tone he sets with this team will play a big role when he leaves, after the first Test match.”
Clarke also expects Jasprit Bumrah to play a huge role in the much-anticipated series, saying that the star pacer needs to bowl aggressively to put the pressure on the home side.
“Opening bowler, probably the best short-form bowler in the world at the moment but his success in Test cricket has been exceptional as well.
“He’s quick, he’s got a really different action, so I think he needs to set the tone and be really aggressive to the Australian batters,” he remarked.
Clarke further pointed out that Bumrah has been winning the duel against David Warner and also has the ability to trouble No. 1 Test batsman Steve Smith.
“Again, it’s not just about the wickets he takes, it’s how he bowls. He’s got Davey Warner’s measure at the moment, he’s got him out a number of times.
“Even to someone like Steve Smith, he’s got to use that short ball consistently and regularly, like Jofra Archer did to Steve Smith in the Ashes.
“They’ve (Bumrah and Kohli) got to take the Aussies on and those two players are India’s best two players to be aggressive to the Australians,” he opined.
(With PTI inputs)
