India captain Rohit Sharma is all set to travel to Australia. According to Cricbuzz, he is likely to link up with the rest of the squad 24th of November in Perth where India will be playing the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
The Indian team has been in Australia for about 10-12 days now. They arrived in three batches between the 9th and 11th of November. They practiced at the WACA for a week and also played a three-day intra-squad game which included match simulations before moving their practice sessions to the Optus Stadium earlier this week.
Rohit did not travel with the team due to the birth of his second child. The 37-year-old was blessed with a baby boy on the 15th of November. He remained with his wife and family post the birth of his son for a few days.
His participation in the first Test was always in doubt. Hence, Jasprit Bumrah will lead the side in his absence. This will be Bumrah’s second Test as captain after he led in a Test against England in Birmingham in 2022 when Rohit was down with COVID-19.
“I spoke with Rohit earlier. But I got a little bit of clarity on leading the side after coming in here,” Bumrah was quoted saying in the pre-series press conference in Perth.
Rohit is now expected to fly to Perth and join the team on the third day of the first Test. According to Cricbuzz, it is understood that the Indian captain has informed the BCCI about his decision to travel as well.
This means that Rohit will now be available to play the second Test match in Adelaide. It is going to be a day-night encounter (pink-ball Test). India have a two-day pink-ball practice match against Prime Minister’s XI in Canberra which will be played on the 30th of November and 1st of December.
No call taken on Shami
Meanwhile, there is no clarity as to when Mohammed Shami will join the squad. He returned to competitive cricket after a year when he played for Bengal in their recent Ranji Trophy game against Madhya Pradesh. He took seven wickets in the match and sent down 43.2 overs. The 34-year-old pacer has been included in the Bengal T20 squad for the upcoming Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. There are reports that he could link up with the team after the second Test in Adelaide.
Bumrah was optimistic about Shami’s return. He revealed that if things fall into place, Shami could join the side soon.
“Shami bhai has started to play cricket, and obviously, he is an integral part of this team. I’m sure the management is also keeping a keen eye. Hopefully, things fall in place and you might see him here as well,” Bumrah added.
