Thursday (Jan 02) has seen endless rumours and reports regarding Rohit Sharma’s potential retirement from Test cricket. But now, a fresh claim from Indian Express says that the Indian captain is all set to drop himself in the upcoming Sydney Test, starting from January 3. This was a long time coming, considering Rohit’s horrible form in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT). Instead, Jasprit Bumrah will lead the visitors once again after he was the man-in-charge during the historic Perth triumph.
Rohit Sharma to drop himself in favour of Shubman Gill
Speculation continues around Rohit’s potential exclusion from the playing XI. If dropped, Shubman Gill, who missed the previous Test, might return to the lineup, possibly batting at No. 3. Meanwhile, KL Rahul is expected to partner with Yashasvi Jaiswal at the top of the order. Given the immense intensity the reports of Rohit dropping himself are carrying, it won’t be a surprise if you see Bumrah coming out for a toss in Sydney. Bumrah, who has been unplayable in the series with 30 wickets, will have a mighty task in front of him. India’s World Test Championship (WTC) Final aspirations hang by a thread, and their only hope is to win the Sydney Test. Even then, they’ll need Australia to falter in their upcoming Test series against Sri Lanka, failing to win both matches, to secure a spot in the final at Lord’s in June.
According to reports, Rohit has communicated with head coach Gautam Gambhir and BCCI’s chief selector Ajit Agarkar that he won’t participate in a do-or-die clash in Sydney. “Rohit has informed coach Gautam Gambhir and chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar of his decision to opt-out. The duo, it is learnt, have agreed,” the report said.
Rishabh Pant stays, Prasidh Krishna to come in
The Indian Express report also claims that Rishabh Pant will retain his place in the playing XI. This comes after the southpaw received major flak from pundits following his poor ways to get out when India needed him in both innings in Melbourne. Meanwhile, Gautam Gambhir, in the pre-match press conference, asserted that Akash Deep has endured a back injury and hence will not be part of the team in Sydney. He is likely to be replaced by Prasidh Krishna, who hasn’t played a single game in the series thus far. The tall pacer can extract extra bounce off SCG surface, which is usually known to offer spin from third day onwards.
Rohit Sharma’s Test record under Ravi Shastri vs Gautam Gambhir
| Inns | Runs | HS | Ave | SR | 100 | 50 | 4s | 6s | |
| Under Ravi Shastri | 38 | 1863 | 212 | 56.45 | 56.25 | 6 | 7 | 209 | 38 |
| Under Gautam Gambhir | 15 | 164 | 52 | 10.93 | 57.14 | 0 | 1 | 21 | 4 |
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