Teh premier Australian batsman, Steve Smith on Tuesday said the absence of India captain, Virat Kohli for the remaining three Test matches will be dearly felt by the visitors. The visiting team will be missing the services of Kohli for the remainder of the series as he will be heading back home after being granted paternity leave by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

Talking about the same, Smith said, “I just fist-bumped (him) in the end (of the first Test) and said safe travel and hope everything goes well with the baby. It is a big loss for him and India, not having him for the rest of the series. You have to look at the way he played in first innings, was a pretty class display on good bowling.”

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He further added, “Wicket was doing a bit and I had said it before and will say it again, credit to him to stand up and say I wanna go home for the birth of his first child. I am sure there would have been pressure on him to stay but credit to him.”

Smith has a great record at Test matches in Melbourne as he has smashed more than 900 runs with three half-centuries. The 31-year-old said he always dreamt of batting in the Boxing Day Test. Now when he is living his dream, he said walking out to bat in the Boxing Day Test gives him “shivers down the spine”.

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Talking about the same, Steve Smith said, “Yeah, 10 years (since his debut) is quite hard to believe. Since then, I have grown as a player over that time. My boxing day record is probably the best in Australia among all grounds. On a big occasion I like to try and make most of them. You get shivers down the spine when walk out to bat at boxing day (with) the crowd yelling. Because as a kid I always wanted to play in boxing day Test match.”

India and Australia will play the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, beginning December 26.