India vs Australia: ‘Not only have to save the match but win it’, Murali Kartik points out the challenges for Rahane in Kohli’s absence

The ongoing Test series Down Under is going to take an interesting turn as team India will play the rest of the games without Virat Kohli. As per certain reports, the Indian captain left Australia on Tuesday and handed over the leadership responsibilities to his deputy – Ajinkya Rahane.

Kohli’s absence will shoot up spectators’ curiosity as they are eager to witness how the tourists deal with the Australian challenge without him. It’s going to be a tough task for Rahane as he also holds the onus to bring the side back in the competition after the Adelaide debacle.

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Unlike Kohli, Rahane is known for his mild temperament. Agreeing to that fact, former Indian spinner Mural Karthik believes that the calmness will be reflected in the latter’s captaincy as well.

“He has a very quiet nature, so that will be reflected in his captaincy as well. There will not be any overt celebrations and I feel he reads the game well. When we have played Ranji Trophy against him, he is an organised person, that is what you can expect from him,” Kartik said on Sony Sports Network.

“The interesting thing will be that we have lost the match, Prithvi Shaw has not looked confident in both innings and on top of that Virat Kohli is not there, so what changes they will make to the team,” he added.

Kartik pointed out the challenges Rahane would face while captaining the Indian team in Australia. He said that Rahane and the team management should come up with a solid plan so as to make a comeback in the series where the tourists are lagging 0-1.

“These are the kind of things Ajinkya Rahane will have to think about because confidence has to be infused now. You need to play the players who do not have the baggage, who can help you in making a comeback,” Kartik said.

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“Australia is a tough place and when you are down, you need to know what sort of players you want and go with them. Their bowlers are on top, they know they can dismiss us, so you need to think about what you can do because you not only have to save the match but win the match if you have to do anything this time.

“So, that will be more important for Ajinkya Rahane and the entire team management,” opined Kartik.