Former Australia skipper Michael Clarke believes the unavailability of Virat Kohli for the major part of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy is going to be a huge loss for India, considering his impact as a batsman and the captain.
WATCH - Ian Chappell backs Ajinkya Rahane to fill Virat Kohli's void in the Test series
Clarke, however, reckons India have the players who can step up and deliver in the absence of their captain.
According to Clarke, Rohit Sharma should lead the Indian Test side in Kohli’s absence.
"If I was picking the Indian team before they came to Australia and knew that Virat was going to go home after the first Test, I would have picked Rohit Sharma. 100 percent. Because I think he needs to captain India if Virat Kohli is not there," Michael Clarke told India Today.
"His captaincy and leadership is outstanding. Once again, he showed that during the IPL and another IPL win, he knows how to lead men. I think he should be captain of India in any format if Virat Kohli is not there.
"That being the case, I would have done everything in powers to get Rohit Sharma fit and have him bat at No. 6. Once Virat goes, he takes over the leadership."
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.
Ajinkya Rahane will lead India in the Test series after Kohli's departure and Clarke pointed out that the former is a tactically brilliant captain.
"I love Jinx (Rahane) too. 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. 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. 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 feels KL Rahul is a good candidate to bat at No. 4 in Virat Kohli’s absence.
"There are probably two sides to Virat, one is the captaincy part and the other is the batting part. 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, playing in these conditions before. He can do it. But Virat Kohli's boots can never be filled by anybody," he concluded.
