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The visitors aren’t looking like a team at ease right now, especially Rohit, who is caught between a rock and a hard place both as skipper and batter.
India look to bounce back inn Sydney to level the series
The question was simple. Will Rohit Sharma play in the fifth and final Test against Australia? Had Sharma’s position been secure, the answer should have been ‘Yes’. Yet, India head coach Gautam Gambhir’s response at a pre-match press conference was, “We will take a call on the playing XI after looking at the pitch.”
The ambiguous response, equal parts intriguing and dramatic, naturally sparked speculation that the out-of-form skipper was no longer sure of his place in the playing XI. Within few hours, it swirled into near confirmation that the 37-year-old Rohit is set to become the first serving Indian captain who would be dropped for poor form.
Ever since he landed Down Under, Rohit the batter has been battered by extra bounce and seam movement and Rohit the skipper has been left bruised by the scathing criticism of his leadership. And as the tour draws to a close, his career as a Test cricketer seems headed for a dispiriting climax.
If the expected happens, pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, who has been the team’s top performer with an astonishing 30 wickets in four outings at a sub-20 average, will take over the leadership role. It was under Bumrah’s captaincy that India won its only Test on the tour so far — the lung-opener in Perth.
Leading the series 2-1, a win for Australia will seal their place in the final at the Lord’s against South Africa in the World Test Championship. India, on the other hand, not only requires a win but also need Sri Lanka to not lose any of their two Tests at home against Pat Cummins’ men to qualify for the WTC finals.
The visitors aren’t looking like a team at ease right now, especially Rohit, who is caught between a rock and a hard place both as skipper and batter. He may or may not announce retirement but playing the traditional format after Sydney looks a long shot.
Rishabh in the line of fire
There are reports that Rishabh Pant’s shot selection has invited the wrath of Gambhir, who is now planning a rap on the knuckles by dropping him in favour of Dhruv Jurel. If Pant is indeed axed from the game, it would be a redux of the time when legendary all-rounder Kapil Dev was taught a lesson for his poor shot selection during a 1984 tour of England with a similar omission.
During practice on Thursday, Jurel got the same net time as his senior.
Teams:
Australia (Playing XI): Pat Cummins (captain), Sam Konstas, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Alex Carey (wk), Beau Webster, Mitchell Starc, Scott Boland and Nathan Lyon
India (Squad): Rohit Sharma (captain), Jasprit Bumrah (vice-captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wk), Dhruv Jurel (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Harshit Rana, Prasidh Krishna, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Tanush Kotian, Sarfaraz Khan.
(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – PTI)
- Location :
Sydney, Australia
