India would be fine with Rahane: Smith

When Kohli left the field after falling heavily attempting to prevent a boundary midway through the opening day of the third Test in Ranchi, Rahane was instilled as the interim skipper. 

Australia were bowled out for 451 under Rahane’s watch but Kohli returned in Australia’s second innings, barely fielding a ball at first slip during the visitors’ 100 overs at the crease. 

With Kohli racing against the clock to be fit for perhaps the biggest Test of his career, Smith expects Rahane to once again fill in as his counterpart. 

“I think (India) would be fine,” Smith said on Friday when asked what the impact of Kohli’s absence would have on the hosts. “I think Ajinkya Rahane would probably step up to captain their side. 

I thought he did a pretty good job last week when he was out on the field in Virat’s absence. I’m confident he’ll be able to do a good job for them.”

Steve Smith’s Australian team paid a visit to the Dalai Lama on Friday morning. The Australia captain had a far more pragmatic concern that he wanted to raise with the Lama. 

Smith has long been plagued by bouts of insomnia and during this six-week campaign thus far has struggled to string together more than four hours of skittish sleep every evening. With the general irritability and shortness of fuse on show throughout the three Tests thus far suggesting that the Australia skipper might not be the only central player in this series to be suffering some serious sleep deprivation. 

“It was great,” Smith said after the team’s hour-long meeting with His Holiness who hugged and conferred a personal blessing on Australia’s most famous contemporary cricketer. “I asked him a question about sleep and how he could help me, and he gave me his blessings. We rubbed our noses together and he gave me some blessings, so hopefully it will help me with my sleep over the next five days.”