Rohit Sharma and Ritika were blessed with a baby boy on November 15.
Former India cricketer Sourav Ganguly has urged India captain Rohit Sharma to leave for Australia soon. Rohit Sharma stayed back while the rest of the Indian squad flew out to Australia as he was expecting the birth of his second child.
There were reports that Rohit Sharma will miss the first Test in Perth due to the birth of his child. Rohit Sharma and Ritika were blessed with a baby boy on November 5.
Many expected Rohit Sharma to leave for Australia in time for the first Test in Perth, which starts on November 22. However, as per a Hindustan Times report, Rohit Sharma has decided to spend some time with the newborn and will most likely miss the first Test in Perth.
Meanwhile, Sourav Ganguly urged Rohit Sharma to play in the Perth Test stating that the team needs his leadership. The former India captain said that if he had been in Rohit’s place, he would have traveled to Australia for the Perth Test.
"I hope Rohit Sharma goes very soon because the team needs leadership. I believe his wife delivered a baby boy yesterday night so I am sure he can leave. He can leave as early as possible and if I was in his position, he should be playing the Perth Test.
The match is a week away. Because it is a big series, he will not go to Australia after this, he is a fantastic captain. India needs his leadership to start with,” Ganguly told RevSportz.
When Virat Kohli chose to relinquish the leadership position following the series against South Africa in January 2022, Ganguly also disclosed that Rohit Sharma was not prepared to take over as Test captain.
The former captain of India stated that he was not shocked by Rohit's current performance and that he had to persuade him to assume the captaincy in the longest format.
"He wasn't because he was captaining the other formats. So, it was a lot of workload. I don't believe in workload. Test captain of India is going to be Test captain. I told him that he wouldn't finish your career not being Test captain, I am not surprised to see what he has achieved," said Ganguly.
The Border-Gavaskar Trophy will begin on November 22 in Perth. The remaining four matches will be played in Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne and Perth.
The second Test in Adelaide will be played with a pink ball, under lights. Rohit Sharma is expected to be available for this Test match.