Virat Kohli lauds India's performance on Boxing Day

Regular India skipper Virat Kohli lauded the all-round performance of Team India on Day One of the 2nd Test in the Border-Gavaskar series. He commended the Indian bowlers for bowling out the Australian team and also praised the batsmen for finishing the day on a high.

Kohli is on paternity leave since the Adelaide Test and won't be a part of the remaining 3 Test matches. On Saturday, Indian bowlers came out all guns blazing and restricted the inexperienced Australian lineup to just 195 in their first innings. This is their lowest-ever total on the first innings of Boxing Day Tests from a team electing to bat first.

In response, the Indian batsmen saw off 11 overs for the loss of the solitary wicket of Mayank Agarwal. Shubman Gill displayed masterful strokeplay against testing lines and lengths of Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc. Cheteshwar Pujara also stood rock solid.

"Top day 1 for us. A great display from the bowlers and a solid finish too," tweeted Virat Kohli.

Ajinkya Rahane is standing-in for Virat Kohli for the series. Rahane made sure that Kohli's leadership wasn't missed in Melbourne. After the day, the Mumbaikar was commended by one and all for his razor-sharp tactics.

Who will replace Virat Kohli at number four on Sunday?

Virat Kohli was India's highest run-scorer in the Adelaide Test which the team lost disastrously. India made four changes for the 2nd match. However, none of the newly included batters are expected to bat at four.

This means that either Rahane or Hanuma Vihari will have to shift up the order. Vihari batted at number four in both the warm-up games and it won't be a surprise if the Andhra batsman retains that position on Sunday as well. Although many former cricketers and pundits have also demanded Rahane to take the plunge. According to them, this will send a subliminal message that the interim skipper is leading the team from the front.

Whatever is the case, Day Two promises some exciting action. On a spicy pitch, the Indians will eye a significant first-innings lead while the Aussie bowlers will try their level best to stymie their chase.