Tickets to watch Australia's two matches against India at Manuka Oval next month will be some of the hottest on offer all summer after visiting captain Virat Kohli revealed he would return home midway through the Test series.
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Kohli is set to fly back to India after the Adelaide Oval Test, beginning on December 17, to be with his wife Anushka Sharma for the birth of their first child.
It means the Australian public will have far fewer chances to get a glimpse of the revered Indian superstar than initially expected.
Two of those opportunities will be in Canberra - on December 2 during the third and final one-day international against Australia, and then two days later in a T20 international.
Manuka Oval will likely be at less than half capacity for both contests, meaning just over 5000 tickets will be available. They go on sale late next week.
"Hopefully the third one day international is the decider, and in the first T20 we get to see Virat Kohli and Steve Smith mesmerise us with their skills," Cricket ACT chief James Allsopp said late last month.
"It's just going to be a fantastic series and we can't wait to host it."
The two India matches precede a huge summer of Big Bash cricket in the capital, with six matches already locked in for December.
Kohli's decision to return home means he'll miss the Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane Tests. The leadership void is likely to be filled by vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane, although that is yet to be confirmed by India's cricket board.
Former paceman Irfan Pathan has suggested Rohit Sharma should be given the job. Such debate is near impossible to avoid given Kohli's irreplaceable status in his homeland and the fact he has missed only two Tests since becoming captain in 2014.
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Yet India have proven in their previous two Test series against Australia that they are no one-man band.
Kohli made plenty of noise during his previous visit, but it was immovable object Cheteshwar Pujara's 521 runs that proved the difference as India registered their first Test series win in Australia two years ago.
Kohli averaged 9.2 during Australia's tour of India in 2017, marking the statistical low of a decorated 86-Test career. The hosts weathered a shock loss in that series opener and prevailed 2-1 in an epic contest.
Rahane served as stand-in skipper for the fourth Test, which Kohli missed through injury, and earned victory plus praise from Ian Chappell and other good judges.
But Pujara, Sharma and Rahane won't come close to matching the aura surrounding this summer's headline act. Kohli is capable of captivating the public more than most members of Tim Paine's team and he will be dearly missed by Cricket Australia and Channel Seven's marketing departments.
Seven can not begrudge Kohli's family-first decision, but the free-to-air broadcaster will likely feel even more aggrieved about a summer that remains the subject of a testy contract dispute.
India will play cricket on 29 days this season, presuming all Tests run to a fifth day. Fox Sports will show all 14 days involving Kohli (including a tour match), while Seven will broadcast Kohli's only Test.
With AAP
James Buckley
James is a Queanbeyan boy enjoying his second stint at the Canberra Times, more than eight years on from his first. In between he's traveled the world, and spent time covering sport in Sydney.
James is a Queanbeyan boy enjoying his second stint at the Canberra Times, more than eight years on from his first. In between he's traveled the world, and spent time covering sport in Sydney.
