IND v AUS 2020: 'Family comes first' - Jason Gillespie backs Virat Kohli's decision to fly back after first Test

Former Australian pacer Jason Gillespie has backed Indian skipper Virat Kohli's decision to fly back to India after the first Test to attend the latter's first child's birth.

Virat Kohli has been playing non-stop cricket since the start of IPL 2020, and the stylish right-hander will miss out on the last three Test matches to be with his family.

"Virat certainly leads from the front, he’s a fantastic cricketer and he leads India very well. When you have any team that loses their best player, it is going to have an effect. We all wish Virat and his wife all the best, family always come first, it is a huge moment in their lives," Gillespie told Sportskeeda in an exclusive chat.

While Virat Kohli's absence will be a blow for India on the captaincy front and with the bat, Gillespie shed light on the importance of putting family first at all costs.

"At the end of the day we’re playing cricket, cricket’s not more important than family, we all love cricket but family comes first and we all respect that," Gillespie added.

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Ajinkya Rahane to captain India in Virat Kohli's absence

Ajinkya Rahane (L) will captain India in Kohli's absence

With Virat Kohli set to miss the last three Test matches, seasoned veteran Ajinkya Rahane will be leading the Indian team. Notably, Rahane has a 100% win record in Test matches, having led India to a win each against Australia and Afghanistan.

The grind never stops 💪 #TeamIndia sweat it out in the nets ahead of the 1st Test against Australia beginning December 17 😎😎 #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/qcyB0EokpZ

— BCCI (@BCCI) December 15, 2020

Notably, Rahane was handed the captaincy duties when Virat Kohli was ruled out of the 4th Test against Australia in Dharamshala in 2017. Rahane scored 84 runs across two innings in that game, and under his leadership, India picked up a comfortable 8-wicket win to seal a 2-1 series victory.