As the highly anticipated Border-Gavaskar series inches closer, doubts are lingering over the availability of captain Rohit Sharma for the first match of the AUS vs IND Test series in Perth. During an interaction with the media after the conclusion of the third Test match against New Zealand, Rohit sounded uncertain about his participation in the Perth Test, which is the first match of the five-match series.
If that remains the case and Rohit does indeed sit out the first match, Jasprit Bumrah, the vice-captain of the team, is expected to lead the team in Perth.
Reason why Rohit may miss Perth Test?
For the uninitiated, the Border-Gavaskar series will start with the Perth Test match on November 22, and India might be without their talismanic captain. There were rumors after the third Test match against New Zealand that Rohit Sharma might miss the first Test against Australia due to personal reasons.
During an interview, Rohit Sharma was asked about his participation in the opening Test match, and he said, “Right now, I am not too sure whether I’ll be going, but let’s see. Fingers crossed.”
A more conclusive reason was confirmed by former cricketer Abhinav Mukund, who revealed that Rohit Sharma is expecting his second child with wife Ritika Sajdeh, which is why he might miss the Perth Test.
Why Was the INDIA vs INDIA A Match Canceled?
Speaking to the media, Rohit Sharma also shed light on why the practice match against India A was canceled. The Indian captain explained that instead of the practice match, there will now be a special three-day window for players to acclimatize to the pitch conditions in Perth.
“Rather than practice match, we have planned a match simulation kind of thing with India A. When you play that practice match, we are travelling with a squad of 19 players, and it was just three days allotted to us. And I don’t know how much workload we can do in those three days in terms of getting everyone prepared,” said Rohit.
“We as a management think that in match simulation, the batters can spend enough time in the middle and the bowlers can bowl a lot of balls. That is something we feel more comfortable doing as a team rather than playing practice match,” he added.
India were leading the ICC Test Championship table before the start of the series against New Zealand. However, after a 0-3 whitewash, India slipped to second place, with their position in the top two now under serious threat. The more concerning issue than India’s standing on the ICC Test Championship table is their abysmal batting performance in home conditions. It’s no secret that the conditions in Australia will be more challenging for most players in India’s squad, as some of them have never been to Australia.
Following India’s 0-3 whitewash against the Kiwis, they now need to beat Australia 4-0 in order to keep their destiny of qualifying for the ICC Test Championship final in their own hands.
