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On the eve of the New Year’s Test in Sydney, Team India Head Coach Gautam Gambhir addressed the media. Speaking for the first time after India’s 184-run defeat in the Melbourne Test, the Indian head coach remained non-committal on whether captain Rohit Sharma will feature in the final Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) Test, set to commence from Friday, January 3 at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
The five-match BGT 2024-25 currently stands 2-1 in favour of Australia after they registered a comprehensive win in the MCG Test, following a draw at The Gabba in Brisbane. India has so far won solitary Test, which came in Perth under Jasprit Bumrah’s captaincy. Moreover, the loss in Melbourne meant that Rohit Sharma has gone winless in six Test matches, including a 0-3 series whitewash against New Zealand.
Gautam Gambhir refuses to confirm Rohit Sharma’s inclusion in Sydney Test
On being questioned about Rohit Sharma’s absence from the pre-match press conference despite captains normally appearing for an interaction, the Indian head coach said “everything is fine” with the 37-year-old and head coach’s presence should be enough. “Everything is fine with Rohit and I don't think it's anything traditional. The head coach is here and that should be good enough. We are going to have a look at the wicket and finalise it tomorrow,” Gambhir said.
When being pressed if Rohit Sharma will be playing in the Sydney Test, Gambhir refused to answer and instead said that they haven’t narrowed down their XI yet. “As I just said we are going to have a look at the wicket and announce our playing XI tomorrow. The answer remains the same,” the former Indian cricketer replied.
It is to be noted that despite failing to lead the side from the front as captain, Rohit Sharma’s form with the bat has dropped tremendously. Across three series he has played so far, including two at home, Rohit Sharma has scored only 164 runs in 15 innings at an average of 10.93. Of these numbers, 31 runs have come in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy, where he has managed only one double-digit score.
