'The birth of his child will do him a world of good': Kyle Mills says Virat Kohli 'has a massive point to prove'

With so much talk in the media surrounding whether Virat Kohli should continue leading India in Tests with Ajinkya Rahane achieving such an incredible feat in Australia, Mills feels Kohli will be highly motivated to prove his point, for which he's backed the India captain to do with the bat.

The upcoming four-Test series will be much significant for Virat Kohli, feels former New Zealand fast bowler Kyle Mills, as the India captain returns to lead his side against a highly competitive England team.

Indian cricket captian Virat Kohli bats during a practice session ahead of first test match between India and England, at M. A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Wednesday. (BCCI/ANI Photo)

Kohli last captained India in the first Test against Australia which the team lost by eight wickets. As he returned to India shortly after for the birth of his first child, Ajinkya Rahane took over and captained India to a historic Test series win.

With so much talk in the media surrounding whether Kohli should continue leading India in Tests with Rahane achieving such an incredible feat Down Under and remaining undefeated in Tests, Mills feels Kohli will be highly motivated to prove his point, for which he's backed the India captain to do with the bat.

"Virat Kohli comes into the XI. Now this is interesting because I think he will have a massive point to prove. I don't think he's had the best 12 months in Test cricket and I think the refresher he's had at home for the birth of his child will do him a world of good," Mills said in video on his YouTube channel.

"There's been a little bit of the media press, public opinion that perhaps Ajinkya Rahane should be the skipper of the Test team but we recently saw Rahane come out and say that Kohli is the skipper, he was just standing in for the Australia series. But I still think Virat Kohli will have a big, big point to prove and he’s going to do it with the bat. It will do the talking in this Test series."

Mills weighed in on Rishabh Pant's role with the bat, but more importantly highlighted how keeping in Indian pitches is a task he will have to master.

"Pant was dynamic with the bat. He can play the game where he needs to bat time if the team requires it but he can also be destructive and change the game very quickly. He can score very quickly," Mills added.

"His keeping… it is going to be more difficult for him to keep in India than in Australia. Because there you get good consistent bounce because of the bouncer wickets. So, his keeping ability is going to be tested a whole lot more."