Sunil Gavaskar believes that the absence of Virat Kohli from the second Test onwards will be a huge boost to Australia but can influence the other Indian batsmen to lift up their game during the upcoming four-match series, beginning on Thursday at the Adelaide Oval.

“I think it is a huge boost for the Australians, a man who has six hundreds in 12 Tests in Australia. It is a huge boost for Australians not to be bowling to Kohli in the last the three Tests,” said Gavaskar during a media interaction.

“As far as Indians are concerned, every time Kohli hasn’t played, India have won. He didn’t play the Dharamsala Test (against Australia). He was down with shoulder injury, (Ajinkya) Rahane captained, India won. He was unavailable for the Afghanistan Test, their debut Test, because he wanted to play County cricket which even though didn’t happen but he wasn’t selected for the Test. India won that Test too. Then India won the Asia Cup and Nidahas Trophy when Kohli didn’t play.

“So somebody or the other from the Indian ranks, they lift themselves up to make up for his absence. And therefore like I said that though it is going to be a huge boost for the Australians, for the Indians it will be a great incentive to lift their game up, for everybody to give that extra to make up for his absence,” the 71-year-old added.

The former Indian captain believed that in Kohli’s absence, Rahane would be moving up from number five to number four, while Hanuma Vihari might bat at five.

“I think what will happen is that Ajinkya Rahane will move from five to four and Hanuma Vihari will bat at five. I don’t know so Hanuma Vihari batting at six will move up to five and then they might look at bringing in KL Rahul for the Melbourne Test. This is what I think. Though he didn’t play in both the three-day warm-up games but my feeling that they will go for him,” he said.

India’s tour of Australia kicked off with the ODI series from November 27 which Australia won 2-1. It was followed by the three-match T20I series from December 4, won by India 2-1.

The Virat Kohli-led team will now begin their title defence of the Border-Gavaskar trophy with the pink-ball Test in Adelaide from December 17.

The first Test at Adelaide will be India’s first day-nigt Test outside home soil. It will also be skipper Virat Kohli’s only appearance in all-whites in Australia this time as he would return to India on a paternity leave after the opener.

Kohli had already informed the BCCI about his wish to return to India to unite with his wife Anushka Sharma. They are expecting their first child in January next year.

The day-night Test will be followed by Tests at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (December 26), the Sydney Cricket Ground (January 7) and the Gabba (January 15).