Recalling Australia's 2019 defeat against the Indian team, former Australian cricket coach John Buchanan praised captain Virat Kohli's contribution, likening him to skipper Sourav Ganguly, who he believes really turned around Indian cricket.
“Once Sourav took over, he instilled a different way of not only playing but also a different way of just conducting themselves against strong oppositions like Australia. It was a developing rivalry for sure, but Sourav was able to take it to another level. Like Ganguly, Kohli has done the same thing for the Indian team,” Buchanan told Sportstar in an interview.
“He (Kohli) has done an incredibly good job - irrespective of whether he is scoring runs or not... Kohli’s real contribution is his leadership and captaincy and the way he instills greatness - not only to win games but also in finding a way to beat teams,” Buchanan said.
Last year, India had stunned Australia 2-1 to win their maiden Test series Down Under.
India's squad is already in quarantine in Sydney preparing for six limited-overs matches against Australia in November and December followed by four Test series, which is scheduled to start at Adelaide Oval on Dec. 17.
Virat Kohli will return home after the first Test and join his wife, actor Anushka Sharma. The couple is expecting their first child.
Team India have not yet announced who the Test captain will be after Kohli departs.
(With agency inputs)
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