Virat Kohli's decision to skip Afghanistan Test surprises Michael Clarke

Michael ClarkeSurprised by Virat Kohlis decision to skip the Afghanistan Test Australias World Cup winning captain Michael Clarke feels the Indian skipper should fly back from Surrey to play the historic oneoff Test in Bengaluru The Indian captain has decided to give the landmark June 1418 Test a miss to prepare for the England tour by playing for Surrey in the County Championship a decision that has evoked mixed response In an interactive session with cricket historian Boria Majumdar Clarke said he always prioritised playing Test cricket irrespective of the oppositionIm really surprised I dont know why its Virats choice I think a Test match is a Test match I dont care who we play against It has to be your number one priority Clarke said at the session organised by the Indian Chambers of Commerce To represent your country is the most special feeling in the world I would like to see him fly back and play the Test a bit of gap in the schedule which can allow him to do that Clarke added Kohli had an unforgettable England sojourn in 2014 making only 134 runs in five Tests at an average of 134 Clarke however backed Kohlis decision to turn up for county cricket and said it will send a clear message about his goal to win in England Definitely its fantastic preparation and it shows his determination and how hungry he is to perform individually and how much he wants India to be successfulIts sending a clear message to his teammates and England that he wants to have a successful tour of UK He wants to win that series Clarke said India will end the year touring Down Under where they have never won a Test series and Kohli and Co have made their intentions clear with the BCCI ruling out a daynight Test at the Adelaide Oval Remember India have never beaten Australia in Australia This is their chance and thats exactly what Kohli Ravi Shastri and all in Indian cricket would be thinking Clarke said Clarke reasoned that the wickets are flatter and spinoriented at day while at night theres no spin but a bit more movement with moisture around They prefer to take their chances during the day I can understand why they do not want to play DN Test But to get more people watching on television we are going to see a lot more DN matches moving forwardClarke sees 2011winning skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni as a crucial member of the 2019 World Cupbound squad and termed the Kohliled side as the overwhelming favourites I know Virat Kohli well enough Hes not going to that World Cup to come second No chance in the world you come second then you must forget the World Cup Hes going there for one goal and for one reason and thats winning the World Cup They have so many match winners You have got the experience Thats why I feel MS Dhoni has to be part of that world cup squad Hes been there before You have got a good mix of youth and experience The key to their success would be the preparation leading up to the World Cup Citing the example of the ongoing IPL where barring Kane Williamson seven other franchises have Indian captains Clarke said India have great depth in their squadThats an unbelievable advantage and a great position for Indian team Thats what makes the best team in the world Virat would love the fact that half of his team captained an IPL franchise Recollecting his own experience of winning the 2015 World Cup at home Clarke revealed that they targeted Brendon McCullum and planned to bowl him yorkers in their matcheve team meeting The strategy had worked as the explosive New Zealand opener was cleaned up by Mitchell Starc for a duck The Kiwis folded for 183 and Australia sealed an easy sevenwicket win We planned that wherever he bats every single ball to him should be yorkers We wanted to bowl at him like its the last five overs Next day Starc was with the new ball and asked skipper is the plan still the same and I said yes Fortunately it worked he saidCatch up on all the latest T20 news and updates here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updatesThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever