Gautam Gambhir criticizes Rohit Sharma, suggesting he will be dropped from the Sydney Test

Gautam Gambhir criticizes Rohit Sharma

India head coach Gautam Gambhir has addressed the inclusion of captain Rohit Sharma in the fifth and final Test against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Gambhir did not rule out the possibility of Rohit sitting out the series-decider, which is set to begin on Friday, January 3.

India is currently trailing 1-2 in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after a heavy 184-run defeat in the Boxing Day Test at the MCG. Rohit Sharma has come under increasing scrutiny due to his ongoing struggles with the bat. The 37-year-old missed the first Test in Perth to be with his family for the birth of his child, with Jasprit Bumrah leading India to a memorable win in his absence.

Rohit has since been shuffled in the batting order but has failed to score more than 10 runs in any innings this series. In fact, he has accumulated only 31 runs from five innings (3, 6, 10, 3, and 9), averaging a mere 6.20 — the lowest by a touring captain in Australia. In 2024, Rohit has registered 10 single-digit scores in just 15 Test innings.

In a last-minute change, Gautam Gambhir took the lead in the pre-match press conference instead of captain Rohit Sharma. With growing calls for Rohit’s exclusion due to his poor form, Gambhir refrained from confirming whether the skipper would play, stating that the final decision on the playing XI would be made right before the toss.

“We will take the Playing XI call at the toss after looking at the pitch tomorrow,” Gambhir said.

There are growing indications that Rohit Sharma may be dropped due to his poor form, with Jasprit Bumrah poised to take over as captain. Bumrah, the vice-captain, was spotted having extended discussions with head coach Gautam Gambhir and chief selector Ajit Agarkar, while the rest of the team continued their warm-up at the SCG.

“The long chat between Jasprit Bumrah and coach Gautam Gambhir still underway as rest of the team warms up at the SCG,” Sahil Malhotra tweet.

During the practice session, Rohit Sharma was noticeably absent from the slip cordon, with Virat Kohli taking his usual position at first slip. Other players like Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Rishabh Pant were actively involved in the drill.

Meanwhile, Rohit was observed shadow-practicing his drive and kicking a football around with teammates. Bharat Sundaresan highlighted Rohit’s absence from the slip cordon, raising further questions about his availability for the upcoming Test.

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“Wow. Gautam Gambhir doesn’t confirm if Rohit Sharma is playing tomorrow when asked directly if the captain’s playing. While Rohit is at warm ups shadow-practicing his drive while kicking the football around with his teammates #AusvInd,” Bharat Sundaresan wrote.

“Rohit Sharma not part of the potentially new-look slip cordon. With Kohli at first, KL at second and Reddy at third. While Shubman Gill was taking catches at slip for a spinner. The massive intrigue of Indian cricket” he added.

In the meantime, Australia has made changes to their playing XI for the fifth and final Test against India. Mitchell Marsh has been dropped and replaced by Beau Webster, who will make his debut in Sydney. Additionally, Mitchell Starc has been declared fit and will take his place in the playing XI for the match.