Steve Smith drops bombshell on the eve of Dharamsala Test, hints at Ajinkya Rahane being a better leader than Virat Kohli

New Delhi: Australia captain Steve Smith on Friday dropped a bombshell on the eve of the series decider in Dharamsala by claiming that Ajinkya Rahane is a better leader than Virat Kohli.

In the pre-match presser, Smith said that Rahane will do a good job for India if Kohli fails to gain full fitness and miss the fourth and final Test which starts tomorrow.

"No, I think they'll be fine. I think Ajinkya Rahane will probably step up to captain their side. I thought he did a pretty good job last week (in Ranchi) when he was out on the field in Virat's absence. So, I'm confident, he'll be able to do a good job for them," he said.

Smith, then, utilised the moment to take a dig on his rival captain, and compared the two Indians, overall behaviour-wise.

"He (Rahane) is probably a bit more chilled out, out on the field. Probably, not quite as emotional. But, no, look, I think he understands the game really well," said Smith.

But Smith's good words for Rahane are not mere word play. He has spent some good time with the Indian vice-captain in Indian Premier League, turning up for Rising Pune Supergiants.

Kohli's availability is still a matter of conjecture. He missed the nets yesterday, and a the Indian board called up Shreyas Iyer as his cover for the match.

Indian captain injured his shoulder on Day 1 of Ranchi Test. He missed the better part of the Aussie innings, but came out to bat at his usual number 4 position when India batted second in the tied third Test.

The series finale of the four-match India-Australia will be played at Dharamsala. India need to win the match to regain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, while the Aussies need a draw to retain it.

(With Agency inputs)