As per the latest reports, India Test captain Rohit Sharma is likely to fly together with the rest of the squad for the tour of Australia. However, there is uncertainty if he will be available to play in the opening match of the series in Perth tentatively scheduled to commence from 22 November. Rohit himself has said he is not sure if he will make it for the match in Perth.
As per a report published in India Today, Rohit will travel to Australia but taking part in the first Test is “dependent on his personal issue”.
“He is travelling but his participation in the 1st Test is yet not confirmed. Will see what happens next in regards to this. His availability is subject to his personal matter,” the source cited by the publication said.
Rohit was also questioned over the possibility of him playing in Perth, after the Mumbai Test match he played against New Zealand earlier this month. “I can’t say for sure if I am going, it’s up in the air. We’ll see. Fingers crossed,” he said.
India will reach the Australia Test tour after taking a devastating historic home series of 0-3 against New Zealand. And this raised questions concerning the abilities of Indian batters against spin, their batting approach, as well as the types of pitches used.
The BCCI reportedly called for a review meeting after the game which involved captain Rohit, head coach Gautam Gambhir, and chief selector Ajit Agarkar that lasted approximately six hours in duration.
A senior BCCI source who was privy to the meeting had reported to PTI news agency, saying that “It was a six hour marathon meeting which was obviously on cards after such a debacle. India are going on a tour of Australia and the BCCI would obviously like to ensure that the team is back on track and would like to know how the think-tank (Gambhir-Rohit-Agarkar) are going about it.”
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) was said to have expressed discontent at the management’s choice to rest Jasprit Bumrah for the Test match in Mumbai, and the preparation of a blatantly adverse wicket when the hosts had lost on a similar surface in Pune.
“Even the absence of Bumrah was a topic of conversation though it was for safety reasons. The decision to go for a rank turner even after India has had poor outings on such surfaces is one of the discussions that was raised,” added the source
