Cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar has sensationally claimed Rohit Sharma should be stripped of the Indian captaincy ahead of his side’s upcoming Test series against Australia.
India selectors have not confirmed if the opening batsman will be available for the opening Test at the Optus Stadium on Friday, November 22.
It is understood that the 37-year-old will not travel with the rest of the squad, who are set to depart for Australia on Monday.
Jasprit Bumrah is expected to step up as the India captain in his place, with Sharma choosing to remain at home for the birth of his second child with his partner Ritika Sajdeh.
Coach Gautam Gambhir said during his pre-departure press conference that he was still ‘hopeful’ Sharma would be available for the first Test in Perth.
Cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar has claimed Rohit Sharma should be stripped of India’s captaincy ahead of this summer’s Test series against Australia
It is understood that Sharma will not travel with his team-mates to Australia and will remain at home for the birth of his second child with his partner Ritika Sajdeh (left)
India come into the series fresh off the back of a 3-0 defeat by New Zealand and Gavaskar believes the side should not be swapping out captains mid-way through the series in Australia
But cricketing legend Gavaskar believes selectors should take the captaincy role off Sharma entirely if he is unable to play in the first match.
‘It is important for the captain to play the first Test match,’ Gavaskar said on Sports Tak.
‘It’s different if he is injured, but if he is not available, then the deputy leader will be under a lot of pressure.
‘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.’
India are looking to bounce back following their huge 3-0 series defeat by India and could look to deploy KL Rahul in Sharma’s place at the top of the batting order.
Gavaskar believed that in order to bounce back against Australia, India should not be swapping captains around mid-way through the series.
‘Because we have lost this series 0-3 [against New Zealand], there is a need for a captain,’ he said.
Gavaskar claimed selectors should tell Sharma that he will only participate as a player in the series if he is not going to be available to lead the squad out in Perth
Ex-Aussie T20I captain Aaron Finch (right) has, meanwhile, come out to defend Sharma’s position
‘The captain has to unite the team. If there is no captain in the beginning (against Australia), it is better to make someone else the captain.’
But former Australia T20I and ODI captain Aaron Finch has questioned the comments, claiming that dropping Sharma from his captaincy duties at such a significant moment in his life would not be the right option.
‘I disagree with Sunny on that totally,’ Finch said to ESPN’s Around the Wicket.
‘Rohit Sharma’s the captain of the Indian cricket team.
‘If you need to stay at home because your wife’s having a baby — that’s such a beautiful moment, you take all the time that you need in that regard.’
Following Finch’s comments, Sajdeh appeared to tip her hat to the former Aussie batsman on Instagram.
Under a screen grab of Finch’s comments backing her partner, Sajdeh posted a ‘salute emoji’ before tagging the Australian’s Instagram handle.
Despite their opposite opinions, Finch and Gavaskar are set to unite in Channel Seven’s commentary box to deliver coverage on the upcoming Test series.
Sharma’s wife subsequently saluted former Aussie T20I captain Finch, on Instagram
Finch claimed that having a baby was ‘such a beautiful moment’ and stated Sharma should ‘take all the time he needed’
It comes as both India and Australia have been working through several top-order selection headaches ahead of the first Test. Pat Cummins’ side seem to have settled on uncapped South Australia captain Nathan McSweeney as Usman Khawaja’s top-order batting partner.
And speaking on how the side could line up for the first Test, Gautam Gambhir said other options are available if Sharma cannot play.
‘Once it gets closer to the first Test match, we’ll plan and play the best playing XI that’s going to do the job for us,’ he told reporters on Monday.
‘(Jasprit) Bumrah is the vice-captain, so obviously he will (be the captain) if Rohit is not available.’
Questions have been looming over Sharma’s future with the Test side of late after he called time on his T20I career.
He had guided India’s white-ball side to the World Cup title earlier this year but struggled for runs in both of India’s recent Test series against Bangladesh and New Zealand.
Sharma has managed just one half century in his last five Test appearances.
Against New Zealand, Shama managed just 91 runs of six innings, with the opener slumping to hit just eight runs during the second Test, after being dismissed for no runs in the first innings.
Ex-captain and former chief selector Krishnamachari Srikkanth has previously spoken out on Sharma’s mixed form and has claimed that the 37-year-old could retire from Test cricket entirely.
Questions have started to emerge over Sharma’s recent form, after he struggled for runs during India’s series defeat against New Zealand
‘You have to start thinking ahead. If Rohit Sharma doesn’t do well, I think he himself will retire from Test cricket, for all you know,’ he said.
‘He’ll play ODIs only. He has already left T20I cricket. We have to keep in mind that he’s also ageing.
He added: ‘Hats off to Rohit for accepting the fact that he played badly throughout the series and captained badly. That’s a great thing.
‘That’s the first move of a player to get back to rhythm. Accepting your fault is very important. That’s a very important quality of a human being.’
