Rohit Sharma: The biggest question at the moment surrounding Indian Cricket is when full-time captain Rohit Sharma will join the squad on the upcoming tour of Australia. Recently, Rohit’s wife Ritika Sajdeh gave birth to their second child and they became parents for the 2nd time and the Men in Blue captain is currently spending time with his family.
According to the latest news reports, the 37-year-old will be missing the opening test-match of the 2024 Border Gavaskar Trophy in Perth and he will be joining the team from the second Test-Match onwards. During this reuniting period, Sharma will also be participating in the 2-day warm-up fixture with the pink ball. In the absence of Rohit, Jasprit Bumrah who is also the vice-captain for this series will be seen handling the leadership duties of the Men in Blue.
According to a recent news-report of ESPNcricinfo, the veteran batter had already informed the BCCI about his travel plans to Australia and had said that he will be available to take part in the two-day practice match with the Pink Ball versus the Prime Minister’s XI of Australia, which kicks off from the 30th of November. That practice game will take place before the day and night Test-Match between India and Australia in Adelaide.
Since Sharma will not be available for the opening contest, the Indian team-management will be looking for a dependable batter to replace the Indian captain as the opener. Earlier, there were reports which suggested that Prince of Indian Cricket Shubman Gill was being considered as the best option because he kicked off his Test Career in Australia in the 2021-22 Border Gavaskar Trophy and he has the experience of playing as an opening batsman.
However, much to the dismay of the Indian fans, the youngster fractured his thumb in the recently concluded intra-squad match-simulation contest and he will not be taking part in the 1st Test-Match.
In such a scenario, the Men in Blue have two options in the form of Abhimanyu Easwaran and KL Rahul. It’s possible that both these players will be seen playing in the Perth Test-Match because along with the opening position, the number three spot is also up for grabs. At the same time, the Indian Cricket Team management have also decided to retain the services of promising batsman Devdutt Padikkal from the India-A squad and he too is a great option to bat at number three.
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