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India skipper Virat Kohli on Wednesday said that the decision to be present during the birth of his first child was "absolutely clear" in his mind and he does not want to miss the special moment "at any cost". Kohli will be featuring only in the opening Test against Australia and then will head back home after being granted paternity leave by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). "It is a decision that was absolutely clear in my mind. As committed as you are to play for your country, this is a very, very special moment in life and something that you want to be there for at any cost," Kohli told Australia's Steve Smith in a video posted by BCCI.

Virat Kohli will return to India after the first Test in Australia for the birth of his first child.© Twitter

Virat Kohli is returning after the first Test for the birth of his childKohli said he was "absolutely clear" in his mind about the decisionHe said it is a moment one should not miss "at any cost"

Team India is set to take on Australia in a four-match Test series, with the first game scheduled to be held from December 17 at the Adelaide Oval. The two teams shared the spoils in the limited-overs leg of the ongoing tour. While the hosts recorded a 2-1 win in the three-match ODI series, Team India registered the same margin of victory in the T20I series.

However, none of it will matter when it comes down to the longest format of the game, with both teams expressing their desire to emerge victorious at any cost. The Border-Gavaskar Trophy is a matter of great honour, and all eyes will be fixed on the TV screen in anticipation of some breathtaking action. Let's take a look at five players who will be ones to watch out for in the first match of the upcoming four-match Test series:

Virat Kohli: The Team India skipper is set to head back home following the conclusion of the first Test, having been granted paternity leave by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Kohli will be eager to ensure a win in the opening tie, in order to provide an early advantage. This will ensure some extra motivation for the batsman, making him a dangerous prospect for the Aussies.

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) star spinner Varun Chakravarthy married his long-time girlfriend Neha Khedekar in a ceremony held in Chennai on Friday. The duo was originally scheduled to get married earlier this year. However, the coronavirus pandemic forced them to postpone the ceremonies. They were staying in different cities when the nation-wide lockdown was announced. While Varun was stuck in Chennai, with his area marked a containment zone around May-June, Neha spent the lockdown in Mumbai.

The duo even had a fun cricket twist to their wedding, where Varun was seen bowling a couple of under-arm deliveries to Neha, while friends and family cheered them on.

The former Indian Premier League (IPL) champions posted the video in which the duo can be seen playing cricket as part of a fun session. Neha was seen successfully decoding Varun's mystery with a stylish square-cut off the last delivery.

With the 2020/21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy kicking off with a Day-Night Test at the Adelaide Cricket Ground, several former cricketers feel the pink ball Test could set the tone for the series. The likes of Anil Kumble and Michael Vaughan feel if India are caught napping in the first Test itself, it may be tough for them to come back. And rightly so, given Australia’s formidable record in Day-Night Tests.

For the record, India have played just one pink ball Test so far – against Bangladesh in November of last year at the Eden Gardens – while Australia are undefeated in Day/Night Test matches having won all seven Tests. While the challenge at hand promises to be stiff for India, former spinner Pragyan Ojha feels there is one player who could emerge as the ‘game changer’ with the pink ball in the Adelaide Test.

“India will miss Ravindra Jadeja’s services due to the concussion injury. Thankfully, India have someone like R Ashwin who has been doing well. In the practice games, he picked up those wickets, bowled tight lines," Ojha told Sports Today.

Senior India batsman Rohit Sharma on Friday cleared an eagerly-watched fitness test at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru and will leave for Australia on December 14, three days before the start of the marquee Test series against the world's number one team. Rohit had sustained a hamstring injury during the IPL, which led to him missing the white-ball leg of the ongoing tour. He is also out of reckoning for the first two Tests but can now be there for the last two games.

"Rohit has cleared the fitness Test and will soon be flying out to Australia," a senior BCCI official told a news agency on conditions of anonymity.

Rohit's fitness test took place under the supervision of NCA director Rahul Dravid, who is entrusted with the responsibility of giving him his fitness certificate.