Reports: Captain Rohit Sharma drops himself for Sydney Test, Jasprit Bumrah to lead
With the absence of Rohit Sharma, ace batter KL Rahul will be back to opening the innings alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal, a slot at which the Karnataka batter has excelled throughout the series so far.
India captain Rohit Sharma has reportedly dropped himself from the Playing XI for the fifth and final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 between India and Australia. In his absence, vice-captain and star pacer Jasprit Bumrah will be leading the Indian side for the series finale, set to commence on Friday, January 03 at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), in Sydney.
The 37-year-old did not address the media for the pre-match press conference ahead of the Pink Test, which was instead presided over by head coach Gautam Gambhir. With the absence of Rohit Sharma, ace batter KL Rahul will be back to opening the innings alongside left-handed Yashasvi Jaiswal, a slot at which the Karnataka batter has excelled throughout the series so far.
According to The Indian Express, Shubman Gill, who was dropped from the fourth Test amid poor form, will get another go since the senior batter has decided to step back from his inclusion. The report further revealed that Rohit did not take active part in the net and training sessions a day ahead of the all-important SCG clash, and was also among the last to do the batting drills on Thursday, January 02.
Gambhir, during the presser, explained that India will take a brief look at the Sydney pitch before the toss, and then finalize their Playing XI for the series finale. The head coach's words hinted at a possible retention of the Indian skipper, but the report suggests otherwise.
Australia, on the other hand, have already named their playing combination for the Test beginning on Friday. The Baggy Greens have opted to rest all-rounder Mitchell Marsh for the fifth Test, and Beau Webster, a like-for-like replacement for the senior cricketer, has been handed an international debut. Webster is the third debutant for the Aussies in the series, after Nathan McSweeney and Sam Konstas.
Australia Playing XI for 5th Test vs India
Sam Konstas, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Beau Webster, Alex Carey (wicketkeeper), Pat Cummins (captain), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland
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