Gautam Gambhir, India’s head coach, rejoin the Indian squad led by Rohit Sharma at Australia, on Tuesday, post-return to his native country. Gambhir had to miss marking January as part of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) series to spend a little time away for personal matters. He will rejoin the team in Australia on Tuesday, according to a report on ESPNcricinfo.
Gambhir had to leave for India due to personal reasons and returns on Tuesday to join the team in Australia. He was missing from the two-day pink-ball tour match against the Australian Prime Minister’s XI in Canberra, which had been badly washed out but originally scheduled to be played as limited-overs match.
In the meantime, India’s training and preparations for the tour match, which it won by six wickets, were looked after by support staffers Abhishek Nayar, Ryan ten Doeschate and Morne Morkel, while Gambhir was away. The crucial contributions made in the day-night fixture by Harshit Rana (4-44) and Shubman Gill (50 off 62 balls).
On Monday, the Indian contingent landed in Adelaide from Canberra. Three practice sessions are organized for the team now – two of which would be held under lights on Tuesday and Thursday before the pink ball test match at Adelaide Oval commencing on December 6.
Gambhir has a tough selection headache ahead of the second Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The real comebacking captain in this instance would be Rohit Sharma, who missed the first Test due to being with his wife during the birth of the second child. Meanwhile, Jasprit Bumrah had captained the side in Rohit’s absence, leading India to a dominant 295-run win.
Having overcome a fractured thumb he sustained in training, Gill now finds himself in contention once again after being sidelined from the Perth Test. Inclusion of both Rohit and Gill into the playing XI, most likely at the expense of Devdutt Padikkal and Dhruv Jurel, will mean the management must settle on an opening combination. Yashasvi Jaiswal and K.L. Rahul made it to the above shortlist when they created a double century partnership as openers in the second innings against Perth.
The pink-ball tour game in Canberra was not a full contest, yet it alluded to Jaiswal and Rahul continuing as openers, Gill slotting in at No. 3, and Rohit batting in tandem in the middle-order behind Virat Kohli’s predetermined destination. Wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant is the one who comfortably fits into the middle order.
