Ahead of India’s tour of Australia in 2020-21, then India captain Virat Kohli had announced that he won’t be playing the last three matches of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Kohli and actor-producer wife Anushka Sharma were expecting their first child and that’s why he decided to leave the tour early. This decision was criticized a lot as Test matches in Australia are considered of great importance.
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Ahead of the four-match Test series, six limited-overs matches were scheduled as well. Australian all-rounder Marcus Stoinis then backed Kohli’s decision of leaving early amidst all the criticism. Stoinis and Kohli played together for Royal Challengers Bangalore during the 2019 Indian Premier League season.
Both of them shared a great bond and Stoinis even called Kohli one of the best-ever captains. When Australia toured India in 2019, Kohli called Stoinis the biggest potential threat.
Marcus Stoinis Backed Virat Kohli’s Decision Of Returning Home To Anushka Sharma For Vamika’s Birth
Ahead of the tour, Stoinis addressed the press where had claimed that Kohli will be fully motivated in the games he will be playing. Stoinis hailed Kohli by saying that he always gives more than 100 percent in every match. He even revealed that the Australian team had planned strategies, particularly for Kohli.
“Don’t worry about Virat, he’s up for every single game that he’s playing. Yeah, maybe there will be extra motivation, but I don’t think there’s any extra motivation than 110%,” Stoinis said to the reporters.
“I am sure he will be ready to go. He is getting home for the birth of his kid, which is the right decision in my opinion. So I am sure he will be extra motivated.”
Kohli scored 173 runs in the ODI series with the help of a couple of half-centuries, whereas he was the second-highest run-scorer of the T20I series with 134 runs. He also scored a brilliant half-century on the only Test he played in Adelaide.
India stepped up after Virat Kohli’s departure in Border-Gavaskar Trophy
India lost the first Test in Adelaide by a huge margin where they got out for just 36 runs in the second innings. After Kohli’s departure, almost every expert predicted a white-wash for the Indian team but it was not meant to be.
Team India had a lot of injury battles throughout the series but they fought against all odds to win the series 2-1. They won the second and fourth Test in Melbourne and Brisbane, respectively. The third Test of the series in Sydney was one of the most thrilling draws in the history of Test cricket.
