Rohit has decided to stay back in India to spend more time with his family and new-born.
Australia batter Travis Head has supported India skipper Rohit Sharma's decision to skip the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, starting November 22 in Perth.
Sharma has decided to stay back in India to spend more time with his family and new-born. His wife Ritika Sajdeh gave birth to a baby boy last Friday (November 15).
Speaking to the press ahead of the series opener, Head said that as cricketers they keep missing important milestones and do not get the lost time back. The southpaw further stated that if he was in Rohit's place, he would have done the same.
"Hundred per cent, I support Rohit's decision. I would have done the same in the same situation. We sacrifice a lot of things as a cricketer. We do live a very privileged life and we do also get looked after. But also on the flip side we keep missing important milestones. So, ya, I would do the same thing if I was in his position, you do not get that time back. Hopefully, he returns at some stage in this series," Head told the media on the sidelines of Australia's training in Perth.
India’s ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah will step in as captain in Rohit's absence. The regular skipper is expected to rejoin the team during the first Test or before the second Test in Adelaide, which will be a Day-Night fixture.
Travis Head, however, was wary of the visiting team despite Rohit's absence for the crucial Perth Test.
"If you look at our history, you would not rule out any Indian team. Last two trips, they had injuries, they have doubts, people have questioned them, but they have pulled out good performances. Whoever they play, it is going to be a strong team," the left-hander said.
Head was also effusive in praise of India’s star batter Virat Kohli, who is struggling for runs in Test cricket lately but has a terrific record in Australia.
Kohli has featured in 13 Tests Down Under, amassing 1352 runs at an average of 54.08 with six hundreds and four half-centuries.
“He's pretty big. Everyone talks about Virat, wherever he goes. Maybe the closed sessions give him a bit of freedom, bit of space. There won't be a series where you would play India and you wouldn't talk about Kohli.”
“No doubt, we will go through all their players, cannot wait to start well against them. Virat's going to have his moments in this series, hopefully not too many of them. He's a world-class player. Over the course of five Tests, he is going to play well at some stage. We have to understand and respect that. Hopefully, the players on our side also have their moments in the series,” Head remarked.