Virat Kohli’s counterpart Steve Smith has backed the Indian skipper for choosing to take the paternity leave and be with wife Anushka Sharma for the birth of their first child. Virat Kohli will leave for India after the end of the first Test in Adelaide. Smith further said that as much as Kohli would have wanted to stay back, he has a life outside cricket which should be given due respect.

Speaking at the virtual press conference, Smith opened up on Australia’s preparations ahead of the first Test. He also opened up on Virat Kohli’s call to go back home after the first test.

“Credit to him for wanting to be there for the birth of his first child. We know how much he loves playing in Australia and how good he is. Lots of credit to go to him for wanting to be there,” he added.

He further admitted that Kohli’s absence will be a big loss for India but he has a life outside cricket too.

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Virat Kohli Has a Life Outside Cricket: Steve Smith

“No doubt it is a big loss for India. We know Virat is a world-class player and you got to give him credit for how much he loved playing down here. (But) He is also a human being and has got a life outside of cricket and a family that is starting,” Smith told reporters in an online media interaction from Adelaide.

Smith also hailed the Indian bowling line-up and said that they are a quality attack who can pose problems for the Aussie batters.

“They are a good (bowling) line-up. They’re pretty experienced now… Mohammed Shami has played a lot of cricket, Jasprit Bumrah has played a reasonable amount of cricket and a quality bowler. In the spin department, whichever spinner they use be it Ashwin, Jadeja or Kuldeep, they’ve all played a fair bit of cricket now.”

The Test series kicks-off on December 17 with a pink-ball Test in Adelaide. The following three matches in the series will all be red-ball.

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