A few days before India took on Australia, head coach Ravi Shastri made a bold statement of beating Australia “in their own den.” Unfortunately, the Indian team’s recent losses don’t seem to support that statement, and Michael Clarke pointed that out.

Virat Kohli’s absence due to his paternity leave left fans and experts divided. While the reason for his leave is a happy one, his absence will place a lot of pressure on the Indian squad.

Former Australian captain Michael Clarke soon weighed in on the situation. He said Kohli is almost irreplaceable, but named a few players who could match up.

“There are probably two sides to Virat, one is the captaincy part and the other is the batting part. Who is going to bat in place of Virat. KL Rahul is very talented, there is no doubt about it. I think he is experienced, playing in these conditions before. He can do it,” Clarke said on the latest episode of Inspiration on India Today TV.

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“But Virat Kohli’s boots can never be filled by anybody. I love Jinx (Ajinkya Rahane). He is a great player. His captaincy is pretty good.

“Tactically, he is a very good captain and it’s going to be good for India. You have got to see it as an opportunity. You have got to try and create history,” he added.

Michael Clarke pokes fun at Ravi Shastri

Michael Clarke went on to mock Shastri’s earlier statement, saying India can celebrate for a year if they beat Australia. “If India can beat Australia at Australia’s own backyard without Virat Kohli, you can celebrate for a year. That will be an unbelievable win,” he said.

“I think that’s the way Indian players have to look at it. They have to believe they are good enough to take on and beat this Australian team,” he signed off.

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