India head coach Gautam Gambhir addressed Rohit Sharma’s potential absence for the first Test in Australia, hinting at Jasprit Bumrah as the stand-in captain.
Source: NDTV
India head coach Gautam Gambhir attended a press conference on Monday before the team’s departure for Australia to participate in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Team India is set to play a five-match Test series against the formidable Australian side in an effort to keep their World Test Championship final hopes alive. After suffering a 0-3 clean sweep against New Zealand in the recent home series, Rohit Sharma and his team face a crucial, challenging tour.
As the series is scheduled to begin on November 22 in Perth, reports have indicated that skipper Rohit Sharma may miss the first match due to personal reasons. However, Gambhir clarified during the press conference that there is still no official confirmation of Rohit’s absence, stating, “At the moment there’s no confirmation. Hopefully, he will be available. We’ll let you know.”
If Rohit is unavailable for the first Test, Gambhir confirmed that vice-captain and star pacer Jasprit Bumrah would be stepping in to lead the team. Rohit’s potential absence will also create an opportunity for a new opener in the team, with Gambhir noting, “If Rohit is not available, we have got (Abhimanyu) Easwaran and KL (Rahul) in Australia. We will take a call.”
Adding to the captaincy discussion, Australian cricket legend Ricky Ponting recently praised Bumrah’s ability to manage the dual role of leading the Indian pace attack while taking on the captaincy, if necessary. Ponting, drawing on his experience, compared Bumrah’s situation to that of Pat Cummins when he assumed the role of Australia’s Test captain, noting, “Yeah, that (captaincy) is probably the hardest thing for him. I think that was always the question on Pat Cummins when he became the Australian Test captain as well.”
India’s upcoming Border-Gavaskar series against Australia holds high stakes, and Gambhir’s captaincy update provides insight into how the team plans to handle any unforeseen changes in leadership.
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