Courtesy: BCCI
Rohit Sharma, the captain of India, is reportedly set to join the team in Perth on Sunday, November 24, during the first Test of the five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) series, which will be played at the Optus Stadium. The 37-year-old didn’t fly to Australia alongside the Indian squad last week after he decided to spend some time with his family following the birth of his second child.
As per the report from Cricbuzz, Rohit Sharma will be playing for India in the remainder of the BGT Test series, starting with the second game, a day-nighter, which will be held at the Adelaide Oval from December 6-10. To prepare for this Test match, he will be a part of the India A squad, which is going to take on the Prime Minister’s XI in a two-day day-night match at the Manuka Oval in Canberra from November 30 to December 1.
Jasprit Bumrah will be captaining India in absence of Rohit Sharma in first BGT Test vs Australia
It was last week when an official, who is privy to the status of Rohit Sharma for the BGT Test series, was quoted as saying, as per Times of India, “Yes, Rohit Sharma will not be featuring in the first Test. He wants to spend some more time with his family and the new-born and the Indian cricket board completely respects his decision.” With him missing out from the first Test at the Optus Stadium in Perth, Yashasvi Jaiswal will be needing a new partner to open the batting for India, who could either be Abhimanyu Easwaran, KL Rahul, or a surprise pick from the selectors.
Meanwhile, Jasprit Bumrah will be taking over the mantle of captaincy from Rohit Sharma for the first Test after playing a similar role over two years ago in a game versus England at the Edgbaston in Birmingham. During his time at home in Mumbai, Rohit Sharma has been using the facilities of the Reliance Corporate Park (RCP) and Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) for practising his batting skills and working up some sweat in gym sessions.
