Indian men’s team head coach Gautam Gambhir has decided to return home from Australia due to personal reasons. With the completion of the first test, the second fixture will now take place in Adelaide from December 6.
During this period, India are scheduled to face Prime Minister’s XI in Canberra in a two-day game, beginning on November 30. Although it will be a day game, the pink ball will be taken to use throughout the contest, which will help the visitors prepare for the day-night test in Adelaide.
During the Perth test, Rohit Sharma returned to the setup after the birth of his first child and will play a key role for the Indian team for rest of the series. As per reports, Gambhir will be joining the team ahead of the Adelaide test.
“Yes, Gambhir has left for back home in India due to a personal emergency. It seems that someone in his family has a health issue. However, he will be back in Australia on December 3, three days before the second Test (pink ball) Test at Adelaide,” a source in the BCCI told Times of India.
Unil Gambhir arrives, assistant coaches Abhishek Nayar and Ryan ten Doeschate, bowling coach Morne Morkel and fielding coach T Dilip (fielding coach) will be in charge of the team.
Indian team sets tone for rest of BGT 2024-25 with a major breach in Perth
In the first test of the BGT 2024-25, the Indian team chose to bat first, which backfired them massively. They were under incessant pressure against the pace and bounce of the Perth surface and were bundled out for 150.
However, skipper Jasprit Bumrah breathed fire to utilize the seam movement offered from the surface to claim a fifer and help India to take a significant 46-run first-innings lead.
The youngster, Yashasvi Jaiswal was a class above what the Australian bowlers could offer, as he slammed 161 during his first test appearance Down Under. The likes of Virat Kohli (100*) and KL Rahul (77) were impressive as well, as tourists put up a mammoth 534-run target for Australia.
In response, the Australian top-order fumbled under pressure and gave an advantage to India. Although, Travis Head (89) played with a positive intent, the hosts were eventually bowled out for 238.
As a result, India secured their biggest victory on Australian soil by 295 runs and Australia faced a defeat in Perth for the first time in five games. The stand-in captain Bumrah took a total of eight wickets and was named Player of the Match.
