Saturday , November 23 2024

If Rohit Sharma does not play in the first test match against Australia, then Bumrah will captain India: Gambhir

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Mumbai, 11 November (HS). Indian cricket team head coach Gautam Gambhir has confirmed that if regular captain Rohit Sharma is not available for the much-awaited Border-Gavaskar Trophy first Test against Australia, fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah will lead the national men's cricket team.

The opening match is scheduled to start on November 22 in Perth. During the press conference before leaving Mumbai for Australia on Monday, Gambhir said, “Bumrah is the vice-captain; If Rohit is not available, he will captain in Perth.”

Rohit Sharma is not with the team at present, but he has not been officially ruled out of the first match of the series.

Giving an update on Rohit's condition, Gambhir said, “At the moment, there is no confirmation, but we will let you know what the situation will be. Hopefully he will be available, but we will know everything at the beginning of the series.”

Gambhir's announcement highlighted the team's contingency plans as they prepare to face Australia, with Bumrah ready to take on a leadership role if needed. After India's embarrassing defeat against New Zealand at home, the road to the WTC final has become difficult.

After winning the series 3-0, India will need to win the series 4-0 to book their place in London and make it to the WTC final for the third consecutive time. After the first match of the series in Perth, the second Test, which will be played in day-night format, will be played under floodlights at Adelaide Oval from December 6 to 10. Fans will then turn their attention to the Gabba in Brisbane for the third Test from 14 to 18 December. The traditional Boxing Day Test, to be held at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne from 26 to 30 December, will be the final leg of the series. The fifth and final Test will be held at the Sydney Cricket Ground from January 3 to 7.

India squad for Border-Gavaskar series: Rohit Sharma (captain), Jasprit Bumrah (vice-captain), Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammed Shami, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill, Ravindra Jadeja, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel (wicketkeeper), Sarfaraz Khan. , Virat Kohli, Prasidh Krishna, Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper), KL Rahul, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Mohammed Siraj, Washington Sundar.

Australian team for the first Test: Pat Cummins (captain), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitch Marsh, Nathan McSweeney, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc.