India appear certain to be without Rohit Sharma for the first Test against Australia as debate swirls around his position both as captain and in the squad.
It has emerged the 37-year-old will not be on the team’s flight this week ahead of next week’s Border-Gavaskar series opener in Perth, staying home for the imminent birth of his second child with wife Ritika Sajdeh.
Jasprit Bumrah is expected to stand in as skipper — an appointment Indian legend Sunil Gavaskar believes should be locked in for all five matches, regardless of when Rohit returns.
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“It is important for the captain to play the first Test match,” Gavaskar said on Sports Tak.
“It’s different if he is injured, but if he is not available, then the deputy leader will be under a lot of pressure.
“I have been reading that Rohit Sharma might not play the first two Tests of the Australia series.
“I feel that in that case the selection committee should appoint Jasprit Bumrah the captain of the side for the entire Australia tour, and tell Rohit Sharma that you will participate as a player in this series.”
Gavaskar pointed to India’s stunning series defeat at home to New Zealand as a crucial factor in his call.
“Because we have lost this series 0-3, there is a need for a captain. The captain has to unite the team. If there is no captain in the beginning (against Australia), it is better to make someone else the captain,” he said.
But Australian World Cup-winning captain Aaron Finch argued such drastic action would be the wrong path to take at a significant time for Rohit as a person and cricketer.
“I disagree with Sunny on that totally,” he said on Around The Wicket.
“Rohit Sharma’s the captain of the Indian cricket team.
“If you need to stay at home because your wife’s having a baby — that’s such a beautiful moment, you take all the time that you need in that regard.”
Ritika spotted Finch’s comments on social media and saluted the Aussie, who crossed paths with Rohit not only as an opponent but once as an Indian Premier League teammate.
On opposite sides of this debate, Finch and Gavaskar will sit together on the Channel 7 commentary team for Australia-India, live and free on Seven and 7plus Sport.
Meanwhile, serious questions linger over Rohit’s future in general with India facing a long break from Test cricket after the summer.
The veteran retired from T20 internationals after guiding India to World Cup glory in June.
He has since struggled for form while also admitting to leadership lapses against New Zealand.
Rohit averages 42.27 in Test cricket but has made only one half-century in his last 10 innings, with six single-digit scores, and was guilty of playing reckless shots at important moments against the Black Caps.
“You have to start thinking ahead. If Rohit Sharma doesn’t do well, I think he himself will retire from Test cricket, for all you know,” former captain and chief selector Krishnamachari Srikkanth said.
“He’ll play ODIs only. He has already left T20I cricket. We have to keep in mind that he’s also ageing.”
Srikkanth said the skipper was right to accept his shortcomings in a press conference.
“Hats off to Rohit for accepting the fact that he played badly throughout the series and captained badly. That’s a great thing,” Srikkanth said.
“That’s the first move of a player to get back to rhythm. Accepting your fault is very important. That’s a very important quality of a human being.
“He accepted it openly. That means he’s on the road to recovery, that’s my opinion.”
– with AAP