Where is Rohit Sharma? Will he play the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy that starts on November 22 in Perth? If yes, then why hasn’t he travelled to Australia yet? When the rest of the Indian players were busy with their training sessions at the WACA, questions about India’s captain, Rohit, got louder than ever before. There is still no clarity on Rohit’s availability for the series opener in Perth but the answer to the first question came on Wednesday.
Rohit himself put an end to the speculations about his whereabouts (at least some of it) by posting a photo on Instagram. The Indian captain was training in Mumbai at the Reliance Corporate Park (RCP). The Times of India reported that Rohit has also been using the facilities at the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) to keep himself ready for the challenge.
As far as his travel to Australia is concerned, he will only take that call after the birth of his second child.
“There is no clarity yet on his departure. It all depends on how things unfold on the personal front. He is doing what any father would at this stage, which is to stay with his wife and family. But at the same time, he is ensuring to be well-tuned for the Test series and will be batting at every possible opportunity in Mumbai,” a source aware of the developments was quoted as saying by TOI.
How is India’s preparing for first Test?
The Indian cricket team departed for Perth in two groups, with the first group leaving from Mumbai on November 10 and the second on November 11. Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, and Washington Sundar flew out with assistant coach Abhishek Nayar on November 10, while head coach Gautam Gambhir and the remaining players travelled the following day.
Virat Kohli was the first player to arrive in Perth, reaching on Sunday evening. He was seen at the Mumbai airport late Saturday with his wife Anushka Sharma and their two children. Notably, vice-captain Jasprit Bumrah did not travel with the second group, opting to leave on Monday night instead.
The team management has already prepared to walk out to the park without their designated captain. Head coach Gautam Gambhir confirmed that fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah, who is the designated vice captain, will take the lead in Rohit Sharma’s absence. There are two contenders for the opener’s slot – Abhimanyu Easwaran and KL Rahul. The latter, because of his experience and proven track record in Australian conditions, is ahead in the race.
The much-anticipated series kicks off in Perth on November 22 and will conclude with the Sydney Test starting on January 3. Before the second Test in Adelaide, which will be a Day-Night match, the team will also play a two-day game in Canberra.
