India vs Australia: ‘It’s a very, very special moment, want to be there at any cost,’ Virat Kohli to Steve Smith on taking paternity leave

Before the Indian cricket team had travelled to Australia for the ongoing series last month, a major news came from the BCCI. The India captain Virat Kohli was granted paternity leave and he given the permission to fly back home after the first Test in Adelaide which begins Thursday. The build-up to the series saw cricket pundits giving their opinions on the decisions and analysing whether India can beat Australia in their own den in Kohli’s absence.

Ahead of the pink-ball Test, Kohli sat down with Australia batsman Steve Smith and answered a few of the questions from the Aussie star cricketer.

Also read: ‘Pure motivation’, Kohli reveals incident which inspired him to play for India

During the chat, Smith asked Kohli about his decision to fly back home in the middle of the series and the India batsman said that he wanted to be present for the birth of his child at any cost.

“It is a decision that was absolutely clear in my mind. As committed as you are to play for your country, this is a very, very special moment in life and something that you want to be there for at any cost,” Kohli told Smith in a video posted on BCCI Twitter.

Kohli also praised Ajinkya Rahane and said that he is capable of leading the Indian troops in his absence.

“I am quite excited about how Ajinks goes. I think he is someone who will enjoy the responsibility of captaining while I am away,” Kohli said.

“I think it is his time to really step up and I think he will relish the opportunity. One guy I am really looking forward to seeing bat here is Hanuma Vihari. I think he is a quite solid player,” Kohli further added.

The Indian cricket team will play a four-match Test series starting from December 17th. Earlier, Australia had pipped India 2-1 to win the three-match ODI series, but India had bounced back in the T20Is, winning the three-match series 2-1.