Kohli's childhood coach says Ajinkya Rahane has a chance to establish himself as captain

Virat Kohli's childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma has said that it will be a good chance for Ajinkya Rahane to establish himself as a captain during regular skipper Virat Kohli's absence during the upcoming four-match Test series that gets underway on December 17.  Kohli would be heading back to India after the first Test match to be with his wife Anushka Sharma as they are expecting their first child in January. 

'Chance to establish himself': Rajkumar Sharma

“Ajinkya Rahane is a very good player in Tests. He has a good record. He has good technique and he is a good leader. He will have a chance to establish himself as a captain,” said Sharma while speaking to ANI.

'Jinx' is Team India's vice-captain in the longest format and he will be expected to lead the team from the front in the last three Test matches at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Sydney Cricket Ground, and, the 'Gabba' (Brisbane) respectively. 

Kohli on the other hand will be leading India in the limited-overs series against the five-time world champions that includes three One Day Internationals which will be followed by the same number of T20Is. He will then be making a solitary Test appearance by leading his team in the opening Test match at the Adelaide Oval which will be played under lights.

Can India retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy?

In regular skipper Kohli's absence, it remains to be seen whether the Virat Kohli-led side will succeed in retaining the iconic Border-Gavaskar Trophy by getting the better of a full-strength Australian side that features the likes of Steve Smith, David Warner, Marnus Labuschagne, etc.

READ: 'Virat Kohli's Absence Will Be A Big Setback In The Last 3 Tests': Childhood Coach Sharma

 India look to snap Australia's unbeaten run in D/N Tests

However, Team India will have to rewrite history as Australia have never lost a pink-ball Test match. In fact, they have won all five of the D/N Tests that they have played so far from November 2015 and all those wins have come in their own backyard. 

READ: Indian Skipper Virat Kohli & Offie R Ashwin Nominated For ICC Player Of The Decade Award