According to Indian Express, Indian captain Rohit Sharma has informed the coach and chief selector about his decision to not play in the final test of the series.
Rohit Sharma has been struggling with his form in Test cricket for several months, and his poor performances with the bat have been widely discussed. As per Indian Express, Rohit will be rested for the final Test against Australia, and Jasprit Bumrah will take over the captaincy for the toss.
The final Test of the series will begin at 5:30 AM Bangladesh time on Friday at the Sydney Cricket Ground. The report on Indian Express stated that Rohit had informed head coach Gautam Gambhir and chief selector Ajit Agarkar about his decision not to play in this match, to which both agreed. On Thursday, Gambhir was seen talking to Bumrah for a long time during fielding practice. Rohit practiced batting in the nets but did not field in the slip.
Rohit also did not attend the pre-match press conference, which was attended by Gambhir. When asked about Rohit’s place in the playing XI, the coach did not confirm anything.
“Rohit is doing fine. We’ll assess the wicket and announce the XI tomorrow (Friday),” Gambhir said.
Rohit had scored a century in the final Test against England in Dharamsala last March, but since then, he has failed to reach three figures in 15 innings. During this period, he managed to score fifty only once, and in most of the innings, he didn’t even reach thirty.
His batting average in the last nine Tests is just 10.93. He missed the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar series to be with his wife for the birth of their child. In the subsequent three Tests, he averaged a mere 6.2.
Rohit’s captaincy has also come under scrutiny. India was whitewashed at home by New Zealand, and although they won the first Test under Bumrah’s leadership, they lost two out of the next three Tests under Rohit’s captaincy, with one match ending in a draw. India trails 2-1 in the series.
When asked why Rohit did not attend the press conference the day before the match, Gambhir responded, “The head coach is here. That should be enough.”
Regarding Rohit’s participation in the Sydney Test, Gambhir gave a similar response.
If Rohit doesn’t play in Sydney, Shubman Gill will replace him in the XI. Gill was dropped for the Melbourne Test. In that case, Gill will bat at number three, and Lokesh Rahul will open the innings with Yashasvi Jaiswal. With Akash Deep injured, Prasidh Krishna may get a chance.
