The BCCI granted the 32-year-old Kohli paternity leave to be with his wife during the birth of their first child. He will lead the team in the white ball series, which comprises three ODIs and T20s, and the opening test in Adelaide before returning home.
“These one-dayers and these Twenty20s is where Virat Kohli can really stand up and lead from the front,” Clarke said on ‘Sky Sports Radio’ on Tuesday.
“If India is not successful in the one-dayers and the T20s, they are in serious trouble in the test matches and will go 4-0 in my opinion,” he added.
Clarke feels that despite appearing in only one trial, the Indian patron talisman could still play a huge role in the result of the red ball series when dominating in limited games.
“I think the tone he sets with this team is going to play a huge role when he leaves, after the first test match.”
The much talked about competition between the two best teams in the world would begin on November 27 with the opening of the ODI series in Sydney.
The former World Cup winning captain said Jasprit Bumrah will also have a big role in the long-awaited series, adding that the star running back needs to aggressively throw the pins to put pressure on the home team.
“Opening bowler, probably the best short form bowler in the world right now, but his success in Test Cricket it has also been exceptional.
“He’s fast, he has a really different action, so I think he needs to set the tone and be really aggressive with the Australian hitters,” Clarke said.
The 39-year-old noted that Bumrah has been winning the game against the formidable David Warner and also has the ability to upset star hitter Steve Smith.
“Again, it’s not just about the terrains he takes, but how he bowls. He’s got the Davey Warner measure right now, he pulled it out multiple times.
“Even for someone like Steve Smith, you have to use that short ball consistently and regularly, like Jofra Archer did with Steve Smith in the ashes.
“They (Bumrah and Kohli) have to face the Australians and those two players are the two best players from India to be aggressive towards the Australians,” he added.
India made history by winning its first Australian soil test series on rubber 2018-19.
However, the hosts were then without their star hitters Warner and Smith, who were serving bans for their involvement in the 2018 ball-handling incident.
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