IND v AUS 2020: ‘His first job will be to score runs’ – John Buchanan feels Ajinkya Rahane should not try and be like Virat Kohli

India will miss the services of Virat Kohli for the majority of the upcoming Test series against Australia. But his deputy Ajinkya Rahane should not try to fill Kohli’s shoes and should instead lead by example, feels former Australian coach John Buchanan.

India’s 4-Test series against Australia starts with a pink-ball game at the Adelaide Oval on December 17. However, Virat Kohli will return to India after the first Test to attend the birth of his child, with Rahane in charge of the final three games.

In an interview with ANI, John Buchanan said that Virat Kohli’s absence will hand a huge advantage to Australia, and that the visitors would miss both his batting and captaincy in the 2020/21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

“Virat’s departure from the team is a huge blow to the Indian campaign in Australia. The will miss his enthusiasm, his competitive, his belief in what they can do as a team. On top of this, they will be missing one of the finest batsmen in world cricket,” John Buchanan, who coached Australia from 1999 to 2007, reasoned.

While a lot will be on Rahane’s shoulders to help India retain the coveted trophy after winning 2-1 in 2018/19, Buchanan believes that if the middle-order mainstay scores runs, everything else will fall into place.

“I do not have any insight into Rahane as a leader and a captain. He will not be Kohli, nor should he try to be. His first job will be to score runs, and lead by example this way,” John Buchanan added.

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‘I expect many of the Indian players to be feeling the effects of this lockdown,’ says John Buchanan

Hardik Pandya during a training session of IPL 2020

The Indian players are currently in managed isolation in Sydney, where they are training while also serving their quarantine period. The Australian players, who returned from IPL 2020 on November 14, are also undergoing self-isolation.

John Buchanan believes that staying in enclosed environments might turn out to be mentally taxing for the players by the end of the year, especially for the cricketers who spent nearly 70 days in a bio-secure bubble during the recently concluded IPL 2020.

“Yes, it is always good to be in a foreign country for while, playing matches before a Test series, Although, this year will be different due to COVID. Most players have been in a bio-bubble for some time during IPL and now will continue in that situation while touring Australia."

"I expect many of the Indian players to be feeling the effects of this lockdown/isolation by the time the New Year Test begins which many cause some issues for individuals and the team,” John Buchanan signed off.

India’s 2020/21 tour Down Under kickstarts with a 3-match ODI series on November 27 at the Sydney Cricket Ground, followed by 3 T20Is.