'He has got a life outside cricket,' Smith credits Kohli for taking paternity leave

Steven Smith has backed India captain Virat Kohli's decision to taking paternity leave to be with his wife, Anushka Sharma, for the birth of their first child.

Kohli is set to return to India after playing the first Test of the Border Gavaskar series, starting Dec. 17 in Adelaide. His deputy in Tests, Ajinkya Rahane, is expected to lead India in the remaining three Tests that are scheduled to be played in Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane. Rahane hit a century in India's first practice match against Australia A recently in Sydney.

In a press conference on Thursday, Smith told reporters that India will definitely miss Kohli's presence in the last three Tests, but gave credit to the Indian skipper for choosing to be with his wife over his national duty.

"No doubt, it's a big loss for India. Virat is a world-class player. I think you got to give him some credit, we all know how much he loves playing in Australia. But he is also a human being. He has got a life outside of cricket, a family that is starting," Smith was quoted as saying in a recent interview.

In India's previous tour of Australia, which was in 2018-19, Kohli led Team India to their maiden Test series victory Down Under, and thereby, he became the first captain from Asia to do so. Australia in the series, however, were without their key batsmen Smith and David Warner, who had been suspended for a year following their involvement in the ball tampering incident in South Africa earlier that year.

"Credit to him for wanting to be there for the birth of his first child. We know how much he loves playing in Australia, how good he is, but as I said, credit should go to him for wanting to be there," Smith added in the same interview.

Kohli, who has scored 1,604 runs against Australia in 19 Tests, has a great record on Australian soil. Having played 12 Tests in Australia, Kohli has scored 1,274 runs at an average of 55.39. Over the years, since his first appearance in the longest format Down Under in 2011, Kohli has recorded six centuries and three fifties.

The World No. 1 Test batsman Smith, who averages over 80 against India, also pointed out that the absence of Ishant Sharma could be a worry for Kohli's side in the upcoming Test series. Ishant suffered a side strain while playing for Delhi Capitals (DC) in the recently ended Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 in the UAE.

"Ishant Sharma is probably a big loss for them at the start if he's not available... He's obviously played a lot of cricket. Maybe without him, it may not be the strongest. I'm sure they would like him to play," Smith added.

The first Test of the four-match series between India and Australia will start on Dec. 17 in Adelaide.