NEW DELHI: India captain Rohit Sharma will miss the opening Test of the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia in Perth to spend time with his family following the birth of his son. The Indian skipper will rejoin the team for the second Test in Adelaide, set to be a day-night encounter under lights in Adelaide.
Confirming the decision, an official close to developments stated, “Rohit Sharma will not be featuring in the first Test. He wants to spend some more time with his family and the new-born and the Indian cricket board completely respects his decision.”
Former India captain Sourav Ganguly weighed in, urging Rohit to reconsider and travel to Australia in time for the Perth Test. Ganguly emphasized the importance of Rohit’s leadership in the high-stakes series, which he believes could be the 37-year-old’s final tour Down Under. “I hope Rohit Sharma goes very soon, because the team needs leadership. I believe his wife delivered a baby boy yesterday [Friday] night so I am sure he can leave. He can leave as early as possible and if I was in his position, he should be playing the Perth Test,” Ganguly told RevSportz.
Gunguly further added, “The match is a week away. Because it is a big series, he will not go to Australia after this, he is a fantastic captain. India needs his leadership to start with.”
Ganguly also reflected on Rohit’s initial hesitation to take up the Test captaincy after Virat Kohli stepped down in January 2022, attributing it to workload concerns.
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“He wasn’t because he was captaining the other formats. So, it was a lot of workload. I don’t believe in workload. Test captain of India is going to be Test captain. I told him that don’t finish your career, not being Test captain, I am not surprised to see what he has achieved,” Ganguly remarked.
The Border-Gavaskar Trophy will kick off on November 22 in Perth, followed by matches in Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, and Perth again. With Rohit returning for the second Test, India will aim to capitalize on their captain’s experience and leadership in the rest of the series.