Rohit Sharma set to miss Perth Test against Australia, will be available from...

India captain Rohit Sharma is set to miss the opening Test of the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Perth.

Updated on: Nov 16, 2024, 22:10:43 IST

By Vishesh Roy

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India captain Rohit Sharma is set to miss the opening Test of the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Perth. The hopes of seeing Rohit lead India in the series opener against Australia rose considerably after the Indian captain and his wife, Ritika Sajdeh, welcomed their second child, a baby boy, on Friday, but it evaporated quickly by Saturday evening as the 37-year-old decided to skip the Perth Test and spend some time with his family. Rohit is expected to reach Australian shores in time for the second Test in Adelaide, which will be a day-night contest.

India's Rohit Sharma in action REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas/File Photo (REUTERS)

“Rohit won’t be travelling to Australia for the first Test. He should reach Australia soon and then have enough time to prepare to be ready for the second Test in Adelaide," a source privy to the developments, confirmed to Hindustan Times.

Now that Rohit is confirmed to be missing the opening Test, vice-captain Jasprit Bumrah will step up to lead Team India in Perth.

Earlier, Rohit Sharma did not travel to Perth alongside the Indian contingent and he stayed back in Mumbai for the birth of his second child.

Recently, the Indian captain was also seen using the Reliance Corporate Park (RCP) and Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) facilities for training purposes.

Earlier, after the series loss against New Zealand, Rohit had himself accepted that he does not know whether he will be available for the first Test against Australia or not.

"Right now, I am not too sure whether I'll be going, but let's see. Fingers crossed," Rohit had said, while speaking to the reporters during the post-match press conference.

Who will open alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal?

Now that Rohit Sharma is confirmed to be missing the opening Test, the question remains: Who will open alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal? Will it be KL Rahul or Abhimanyu Easwaran?

Recently, KL Rahul suffered a blow to his hand during the opening day of the ongoing match simulation against India A at the WACA, Perth. However, the injury is not serious, and Rahul is expected to be fit in time for November 22.

India have also been dealt another major blow as right-handed batter Shubman Gill suffered a fracture on his left thumb. The incident happened when the 25-year-old was fielding. It has now been confirmed that Gill is also ruled out of the first Test. “Yes, Gill has suffered a fracture, and he won't be able to recover in time for the first Test," said a source.

Talking about the series between India and Australia, the two teams will fight for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy across five venues -- Perth, Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Vishesh Roy
Vishesh Roy is a sports journalist with a strong focus on cricket. He began his career at Asian News International (ANI), where he covered a range of high-profile events, including the India Open, Legends Cricket League, the England–India Test series in Ahmedabad in 2021, and the inauguration of the Narendra Modi Stadium. During his tenure at ANI, he also reported extensively on domestic cricket, covering several Ranji Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy matches across the country. While cricket remains his primary beat, Vishesh has also reported on tennis, football and WWE. After a stint of over three years at ANI, Vishesh moved to NDTV, where he gained hands-on experience in digital-first journalism, with a particular emphasis on live blogs and real-time news reporting. He joined Hindustan Times in October 2024 and quickly established himself with a series of exclusive interviews and source-driven stories. Ahead of the IPL 2025 auction, Hindustan Times was the first to report that the two-day event would be held in Saudi Arabia. In the early months of his tenure, Vishesh secured interviews with leading cricketers, including Pat Cummins, Shreyas Iyer, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Rashid Latif. He has also closely tracked the rise of emerging talents such as Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Priyansh Arya by speaking to their current and childhood coaches. His background in on-field reporting has helped Hindustan Times Digital break exclusive stories on major developments, including Virat Kohli’s return to the Ranji and Vijay Hazare Trophy, IPL scheduling, and the T20 World Cup controversy involving Bangladesh and Pakistan.Read More

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