Indian cricket team captain Rohit Sharma is expected to be ‘rested’ for the fifth Test against Australia that begins Thursday in Sydney, as per sources. In his absence, the team will be captained by fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah. Rohit has faced significant difficulties in the current five-match Test series, accumulating only 31 runs across three matches. He did not participate in the first Test match because he chose to remain with his family after the arrival of his second child. Nonetheless, after joining the team, he has not managed to achieve significant scores.
Bumrah captained the team in the initial Test match held in Perth, securing a victory by 295 runs.
Previously, at the pre-match press conference on Wednesday, head coach Gautam Gambhir intensified the speculation by lacking a definitive response about Rohit’s future. When questioned about his potential appearance in Sydney, Gambhir stated that the choice will be made based on the pitch conditions.
“All is well with Rohit, and I don’t believe it’s anything conventional (appearing for the pre-match press conference).” The head coach is present, and that ought to suffice. “We will examine the pitch and make a decision on it tomorrow,” Gambhir informed journalists in Sydney.
“I merely mentioned that we will examine the pitch and reveal the playing XI tomorrow.” “The response is still unchanged,” he included.
As India falls behind 1-2 in the five-match series with only one match remaining, the Sydney Test carries great importance regarding their aspirations of qualifying for the World Test Championship (WTC) Final.
India must secure a victory in the Test match and rely on the outcomes of the series between Australia and Sri Lanka later this month. The loss to Australia in the Melbourne Test was a significant blow to the team, as the outcome removed their WTC Final destiny from their control.
