Melbourne: Former Australian captain Steve Smith said that team India captain Virat Kohli's not playing in the last three Test matches would be a big loss for India, but the fellows and their well-wishers should understand that Kohli is also a human being and has a life outside cricket. Kohli will play in the day-night format Test starting December 17 in Adelaide, but will then return home for the birth of his first child.

Talking to the media online, Smith told the media, "There is no doubt that this is a huge loss to India. We all know that Virat is a world-class batsman. We all know that he likes to play here, but he is also a human being, he has a life outside cricket, he has a family," Smith said, "He should be praised for wanting to live in India at the time of the birth of his first child."

Smith was banned for a year due to ball-tampering in a Test match played at Cape Town in 2018 and that is why he did not play in the last Test series against India. At the same time, Smith's two-year captaincy was also banned. Smith was Australia's captain at the time of the ball-tampering controversy. At the end of March this year, he has once again been able to captain the team. He is not worried about captaincy though and is ready to go through the process.

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