Ind vs Aus: Virat Kohli backs Rahane to 'step up & perform' as a leader in his absence

Throwing weight behind stand-in skipper Ajinkya Rahane to excel as a leader and batsman, Virat Kohli remarked that its time for the southpaw to 'step up and perform strongly'. The full-time skipper is set to feature in the lone test at Adelaide tomorrow and then return back home for the birth of his first child, resting the captainship duties upon Ajinkya Rahane. Citing Rahane's captaincy in the two practice games, Kohli reposed his faith in the 32-year-old and affirmed that the two have been on the 'same page'. 

Speaking on the eve of the day-night Test, Virat Kohli said, "Firstly we (him and Rahane) have had a lot of mutual understanding and respect over the years, we've had great partnerships batting together which is based on trust and understanding what needs to be done for the team. Jinks has done a tremendous job (as captain) in the two practice games. He seems to be very composed and he knows the strengths of our team and how we have to go about our things."

'We're on the same page'

"The focus remains till the time I'm here to provide captaincy leadership and perform to the best of my abilities. From then on I'm pretty confident Jinks will do a tremendous job. I've said this previously as well, I feel this is his time to really step up and perform strongly as an individual and as a captain as well, I'm sure he'll do a great job when I'm gone. We're on the same page completely and the vision simply remains to put in good performances and make sure we're competing every game and the idea is to win the series," he added. 

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Moreover, in the pre-match press conference, Kohli also shed light on the one-off Test match set to begin tomorrow at Adelaide. The batting stalwart pointed out that it will be difficult to bat during the twilight period with the pink ball and so will be bowling during the first session. While Australia has played 7 day/night Test matches, India have the experience of playing only one such game against Bangladesh at the Eden Gardens last year. The skipper also spoke of Steve Smith's injury scare and how it affects the Indian team's plans. 

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"We're not focussed on if their players are going to start or not, would they start or would they not start. We are not bothered about those things. We're only focussed on what we can do as a team and take that confidence and plans onto the field to be able to execute them. So yeah, we're solely focussed on what we can do as a side," Kohli said.

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India look to snap Australia's winning streak 

The odds are against India heading into the Adelaide Test and they will need to play out of their skins in order to come out on top and rewrite history. Kohli & Co. have their task cut out come December 17 as the Aussies have not lost a single D/N Test match ever since their first contest against New Zealand back in November 2015. The top-ranked Test side have since gone on to win all the five matches that have been played under lights at home.

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However, the Men in Blue will miss their skipper Virat Kohli after the first test as he is set to fly back home for the birth of his first child. The Melbourne Cricket Ground (26-30 December) will host the Boxing Day Test, before the action moves to the Sydney Cricket Ground (7-11 January) and the Gabba (15-19 January). As per reports, Rohit Sharma has been deemed fit and will be set to appear in the last two tests.