Steve Smith feels Ajinkya Rahane will be a good captaincy choice in the final Test

Aussie captain Steve Smith has yet again taken a dig at his rival captain Virat Kohli who is doubtful for the final and the deciding Test in Dharamsala starting tomorrow. The off-field issues have marred the India-Australia series ever since the DRS controversy in the Bengaluru Test and it doesn’t seem to relent anytime sooner.

Smith has said that even if Kohli misses out in the final Test, India will be in fine hands if Ajinkya Rahane leads in his absence as the Mumbaikar is “calmer, chilled out and doesn’t get too emotional.” Uncertainty over Kohli looms large ahead of the deciding encounter after he injured his right shoulder while chasing a delivery during the opening day of the 3rd Test in Ranchi.

Despite sitting out for the opening day and the majority of the 2nd day Kohli did come out to bat and even fielded in Australia’s 2nd innings. He also missed India’s practise session yesterday and even today so his place remains doubtful. Mumbai batsman Shreyas Iyer who scored a double century for India A against Australia in the warm-up match prior to the series has been called up as his replacement.

It has been a nail-biting series so far and the final Test is expected to be another thrilling encounter. The visitors defeated India in the opening Test in Pune by a huge margin of 333 runs which was also their first win on Indian soil after 13 years. India stormed back at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru by winning the 2nd Test by 75 runs after conceding a big first innings lead.

It was the partnership between Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara that brought them back into the match and later it was Ravichandran Ashwin who waved his magic and finished with his 25th 5 wicket haul in his Test career. With the 3rd Test ending in a draw, the final Test becomes that much important for both the teams. While Australia has a golden chance to win a series in India after 13 years, India, on the other hand, will look to continue their winning streak.