HARBHAJAN SINGH NAMES 2 BATSMEN IN VIRAT KOHLI’S ABSENCE IN AUSTRALIA TESTS   

As Team India is all set to face Australia in a full-fledged series which begins on November 27, veteran off-spinner Harbhajan Singh believes the best way to deal with Virat Kohli’s absence after the first Test against Australia is to forget about it.  

Team India and Australia will lock horns in three T20Is, three ODIs and four Test matches. Meanwhile, Virat Kohli will be leading his team in white-ball series and first Test. 

Also, ever since Virat decided to take his paternity leave amid the Australia series, it has become a talking point in the cricket fraternity. Kohli’s departure from Australia after the day-night Test in Adelaide came as a big blow for India not only because of his batting but due to the effect he has on his players on the field. His absence is sure to have an impact in some way or the other.

“Virat Kohli is coming back after the first Test but this open the window of opportunity for someone like KL Rahul, who is coming back in the Test team. Virat Kohli is a big player and he has scored runs whenever he has toured Australia, his absence will be missed but this is an opportunity for players to step in,” Harbhajan told Sports Tak. 

With Kohli’s departure, it will be Ajinkya Rahane, who will lead the team. Talking about the batting, Harbhajan feels that the Indian batting line-up is stacked with high-calibre players who are proven match-winners, and should cover up for Kohli’s absence. 

Harbhajan backed players like Cheteshwar Pujara and KL Rahul to stand up and lead India’s batting.

“Virat Kohli’s absence should be seen in this manner. KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara are big players and they have an opportunity to prove themselves. I think Team India has it in them but the fact that Virat Kohli is there or not should be forgotten. The team should just remember that they are in Australia to win and repeat what they did the last time,” Harbhajan added.  

Looking back at India’s previous tour of Australia, Pujara was the highlight then; he scored 521 runs in total. Looking into Rahul’s record in Tests, he has been a bit off colour in his previous series but he is coming back after a solid IPL, where he bagged the Orange Cap.