: The biggest question surrounding Indian cricket right now is when full-time captain Rohit Sharma will join the squad for the upcoming tour of Australia. Recently, Rohit's wife Ritika Sajdeh gave birth to their second child and they became parents for the second time. The Men in Blue captain is currently spending time with his family.
According to the latest news reports, the 37-year-old will miss the opening Test match of the 2024 Border Gavaskar Trophy in Perth and will join the team from the second Test match. During this reunion phase, Sharma will also take part in the two-day warm-up match with the pink ball. In Rohit's absence, Jasprit Bumrah, who is also the vice-captain for this series, will take over the leadership duties of the Men in Blue.
According to a recent news report by ESPNcricinfo, the veteran batsman had already informed the BCCI about his travel plans to Australia and stated that he would be available to take part in the two-day pink ball practice match against the Prime Minister's XI of Australia on November 30 begins. This practice match will take place before the day and night Test match between India and Australia in Adelaide.
Since Sharma will not be available for the opening match, the Indian team management will look for a reliable batsman to replace the Indian captain as the opener. Earlier, there were reports suggesting that Prince of Indian cricket Shubman Gill was being considered as the best option as he started his Test career in Australia in the 2021-22 Border Gavaskar Trophy and has the experience of playing as an opening batsman.
However, much to the dismay of Indian fans, the youngster broke his thumb in the recently concluded intra-team match simulation competition and will not take part in the first Test match.
In such a scenario, the Men in Blue have two options in Abhimanyu Easwaran and KL Rahul. It is possible that both of these players will feature in the Perth Test match as, in addition to the first position, third place is also up for grabs. At the same time, the Indian cricket team management has decided to retain the services of promising batsman Devdutt Padikkal from the India A squad and he too is a great option to bat at number three.
