Mumbai: India skipper Virat Kohli on Tuesday morning, left Australia for India after handed over the captaincy of the Test team to Ajinkya Rahane.
Kohli will be on paternity leave as he and wife actress Anushka Sharma are expecting their first child.
According to a report by ANI, sources in the know have said that Kohli left for India after meeting with his teammates and boosting their confidence and morale. It can be recalled that India fell to the lowest-ever innings total in their 82-year Test cricket history as they ended at 36 for nine in their second innings against Australia in the first Test match at the Adelaide Oval on Saturday. India’s worst Test innings total before this was 42 against Mike Denness’s England at Lord’s in 1974.
Even though fans and critics lashed out at the team for their performance, Kohli reportedly wants them to move on and focus on what is in front of them. There are three more games remaining in the four-match Test series.
According to the source, the idea behind the meeting in the morning was to instil confidence in the team and keep them positive. “He (Kohli) then officially handed the captaincy over to Rahane and asked the team to keep showing intent and express themselves on the pitch,” ANI quoted the source as saying.
Meanwhile, Cricket Australia has confirmed that the Sydney Test match between India and Australia will stay on track, despite reports of a new COVID-19 cluster poping in Sydney.
(with IANS and ANI inputs)
