The Indian cricket team will travel to Australia for five Test matches in a few days’ time. The highly-anticipated series is slated to get underway on November 22 in Perth.
In their last two tours, India had performed exceptionally well to clinch the Border-Gavaskar Trophy Down Under. However, the team find itself in a precarious position this time around after losing 0-3 to New Zealand at home.
With the Australia tour fast approaching, reports are also claiming that India skipper Rohit Sharma might miss out on the opening Test due to personal reasons. Moreover, it’s still uncertain whether he will join the camp for the second Test in Adelaide.
In case of Rohit’s absence, Jasprit Bumrah will take over the leadership duties. However, batting legend Sunil Gavaskar reckons if the regular captain is not there right from the beginning, especially when the team is coming from a humiliating whitewash, he should play the rest of the games as a mere player while his deputy should lead the team for the entire series.
“It is important for the captain to play the first Test match. It’s different if he is injured, but if he is not available, then the deputy leader will be under a lot of pressure," Gavaskar told Sports Tak.
“I have been reading that Rohit Sharma might not play the first two Tests of the Australia series. I feel that, in that case, the selection committee should appoint Jasprit Bumrah the captain of the side for the entire Australia tour, and tell Rohit Sharma that you will participate as a player in this series. For the first Test match, Rohit Sharma has to be there," he added.
Addressing the media after India’s 25-run loss in the third Test against New Zealand in Mumbai, Rohit Sharma indicated that he is unsure of his "availability" for the Perth Test.
"Right now, I am not too sure whether I'll be going, but let's see. Fingers crossed," Rohit said.
If Rohit indeed misses the series opener against Australia, Abhimanyu Easwaran will open the batting alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal at the top.
After the first Test, the action will shift to the Adelaide Oval (December 6-10), where both teams will face each other in a Day-Night Test. The last three Tests are set to take place at the Gabba (December 14-18), MCG (December 26-30), and SCG (January 3-7).
