Rohit Sharma confirms that he is a doubtful starter for first BGT Test

India could be without their incumbent Test skipper Rohit Sharma for the first Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test in Perth as the 37-year-old admitted on November 3 (Sunday) that he is ‘not sure’ if he will be with the side for the curtain-raiser of the five-Test series.

Rohit and his wife are said to be expecting the birth of their second child during the same time, and thus the team India skipper is likely to remain home on paternity leave.

"Right now, I am not too sure whether I'll be going, but let's see. Fingers crossed,” Rohit said after the series loss against New Zealand.

Should Rohit miss out, India will be led in Perth by Jasprit Bumrah, who has been named vice-captain for the five-match series. Bumrah has prior experience leading the country away from home, having led in the one-off Test against England at Edgbaston two years ago. However, on that occasion, the Men in Blue slipped to a heavy defeat that led to England's drawing the five-match series.

Who will replace Rohit in the XI is a bigger mystery, but there is a chance that Abhimanyu Easwaran might take the 37-year-old’s spot in the XI at the top of the order. Easwaran, who has been in red-hot form in red-ball cricket in 2024, is the only spare top-order batter in the squad and is already in Australia, representing India ‘A’ in the unofficial Test series against Australia ‘A’. 

But the right-hander made a poor start to the series, posting scores of 7 & 12 in the first unofficial Test that India ‘A’ lost by seven wickets. Or, will India spring a surprise by the inclusion of Sai Sudharsan, who has been in glorious touch? 

The first Test between India and Australia in Perth will be played from November 22 at the Optus Stadium. 

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