The current Border-Gavaskar trophy has seen so much action this time around, from Gautam Gambhir’s team tactics against Travis Head to Yashavi Jaiswal vs. Starc, Sam Konstas’s brilliant debut, Virat Kohli vs. Konstas, and the constant chirping of players on the field of play. It has also seen some controversial decisions, be it of KL Rahul or Yashasvi Jaiswal.
The Indian team has been inconsistent with the bat throughout the series. Their problem starts with their captain Rohit Sharma and experienced Virat Kohli as they fail to pile up runs. Rishabh Pant has been disappointing this time around with his rash shots. Captain Rohit Sharma has been struggling with the red ball for a long time now.
On the eve of the last BGT Test in Sydney, speculation about Indian skipper Rohit Sharma’s future grew more intense. According to coach Gautam Gambhir, who attended the pre-game news conference, Rohit’s spot in the starting lineup would be determined following a review of the pitch on the morning of the game.
Gautam Gambhir Hints At Dropping Rohit Sharma Amidst Poor Form
When asked if Rohit was playing the Sydney Test, Gambhir said: “We shall look at the pitch and take a call tomorrow”. The Indian skipper is averaging 6.20 in the ongoing series. Rohit’s long run slump and a series of lame dismissals in the first four Tests of the BGT have been the reasons, his place in the side has been questioned in the media.
Prior to the commencement of the pre-game news conference on the eve of the final Test match in Sydney, coach Gautam Gambhir was observed engaging in a lengthy conversation with the team’s senior player, Jasprit Bumrah. Soon, Rohit would also join them. Gambhir and Bumrah, who captained the team in Perth, the only Test that India won, would continue their conversation after the press conference.
Rohit, meanwhile, was on the ground with the rest of the team playing football, which is their warm-up exercise. India still has a chance to maintain the Border Gavaskar Trophy and level the series 2-2, but the team management is concerned about Rohit’s performance. His score pattern since September of last year has been 6, 5, 23, 8, 2, 52, 0, 8, 18, 11, 3, 6, 10, 3, 9.
Due to the birth of his second kid, Rohit was unable to attend the first Test. Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul, who opened the batting for India in Perth, put on a 201-run opening partnership that eventually served as the cornerstone for the Indian team. Rohit pushed himself to number six after his return.
Virat Kohli or Jasprit Bumrah To Be The Interim Captain?
Amidst the rumors of Rohit Sharma being dropped in the final test match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy one of the two experienced players will have to step up as a captain. Virat Kohli has been a successful captain for Team India before and recently Jasprit Bumrah has led the side very well in Rohit Sharma’s absence.
Bumrah’s outstanding play has put the tourists in a position where they could make a change at the top, both as a bowler in every Test match and as a leader in Perth when Rohit was not there.
Head Coach Gautam Gambhir Wanted Pujara In The Squad
It has been revealed that head coach Gautam Gambhir wanted veteran batter Cheteshwar Pujara in the lineup, but the selectors rejected the idea as the Indian team continued to deteriorate following their defeat in the fourth Test of the Border Gavaskar Trophy. Following the Melbourne defeat, Gautam Gambhir had had enough of the previous poor performance and delivered a harsh evaluation of the players, according to a story published on Wednesday by the Indian Express by Sriram Veera, Devendra Pandey, and Venkata Krishna B.
After India lost to Australia in the 2023 World Test Championship final at the Kia Oval, Pujara, a player who has played for India in more than 100 Test matches, has been left out of the national lineup. In the two innings of that game, the hitter could only muster 14 and 27 runs, and the Australians won the prize.
A player like Pujara, who has 993 runs from 11 games at an average of 47.28 in Australia, could have made a difference, though, since the majority of the Indian top order has failed to get going in the current series. It has been said that Gautam Gambhir continued to discuss the 36-year-old Saurashtra batsman even after India won the first Test match in Perth.
Also Read : https://goworldwide.co.in/mitchell-marsh-could-be-the-5-bowling-option/