Pat Cummins reveals how Kohli's absence might be a blessing in disguise for Team India

One of Australia's star pacers Pat Cummins believes Indian skipper Virat Kohli's absence in the upcoming Test series will not have any big difference to the result of the four-match series and instead, will turn out to be a blessing in disguise for some other player who will get an opportunity to play in the series.

Kohli will be captaining the side in the first Test at the Adelaide Oval that will be played under lights. However, the batting megastar would be heading back to India after the Test match to be with his wife Anushka Sharma as they are expecting their first child in January. 

'New opportunity': Pat Cummins

"To be honest, as a captain, obviously he'll be missed but the Indian cricket side always finds some incredible batsman, who outside the team, just waiting for an opportunity, so maybe that new opportunity will be the beginning of someone else's career," ICC quoted Cummins as saying.

"It might make a bit of a difference. I am not sure it's gonna be a deciding factor in the series but to be honest, us players haven't spoken too much about it," he added.

India Tour of Australia 2020/21 (Test Series)

The final leg of India vs Australia 2020 series will see the two sides play four Tests in the Test Series. Adelaide will play host to an iconic day-night Test between the two countries, with the series opener scheduled to begin from December 17.

The Boxing Day Test will take place at the Melbourne Cricket Ground from December 26, before the players go back to Sydney to play the annual New Year's Test. That match is scheduled for January 7 to give players some additional rest between matches.

The final match of India vs Australia 2020 series will begin on January 15 at the Gabba in Brisbane.

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What's at stake?

As India and Australia lock horns in pure whites come December, it will not just be about Australia's vengeance or India's desire to write history, and nor will it be about winning the Border Gavaskar Trophy. Because this time, there's something much bigger on the line - The World Test Championship. India currently sit atop the World Test Championship with 360 points whereas Australia are just below the Men in Blue with 296 points. The teams also face the challenge of COVID-19 and the taxing bio-bubble which is expected to take a toll on the players. 

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(With ANI Inputs)