New Delhi:
Head Coach Gautam Gambhir is hoping that Rohit Sharma will be available for the first test against Australia in Perth, though he is happy with the options he has in case Rohit misses out the first test.
Gambhir also confirmed that if Rohit were to miss out, Jasprit Bumrah being the designated vice-captain,” Obviously will [be the captain] if Rohit is not available”.
“At the moment, there is no conformation but we will let you know exactly what the situation will be. Hopefully he’s going to be available but everything we’re going to get to know at the start of the series,” Gambhir said at a press-conference in Mumbai before the squad’s flight to Australia.
A group of five players- Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Gill, Washington Sundar and Jaiswal- have already left for Australia, while the rest of the squad will leave later on Monday, but Gambhir didn’t confirm if Rohit will be on that plane or not. As reported earlier, Rohit is a doubt for the first test owing to personal reasons, but there is no conformation one way or the other yet.
Who will open alongside Jaiswal if Rohit misses out?
“Obviously there is Abhimanyu Easwaran and there is KL Rahul there. So we will take a call closer to the first test match if Rohit is not available,” Gambhir said. “There are options there, it’s not that there are not options there. There are quit a few options in the squad.”
“Once it gets closer to the first test match, we’ll plan and play the best playing XI that’s going to do the job for us.”
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Rahul and Abhimanyu opened for India A in the second four-day match against Australia A, but both returned low scores. Abhimanyu, who also played the first game of that series, had scores of 7, 12, 0 and 17 across the two games, while Rahul made 4 and 10 in the two innings in his only game.
Prior to the fresh developments, Rahul looked set for a role as a middle-order batter in Tests, but Rohit’s potential absence has put him back in contention at the top of the order.
Shubman Gill is another option available in the squad-he made his Test debut as an opener during India’s last visit to Australia but has moved to the upper-middle order.
“We will try and get the best combination possible who can do the job for us in Perth. And be it Shubman opening the batting or Easwaran or KL, it all depends on what we feel is the right combination,” Gambhir said.
The Perth Test will begin on November 22.
