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As the highly anticipated Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-2025 is set to commence on November 22, both India and Australia are leaving no stone unturned in their preparations. So far, a cloud of uncertainty hung over the participation of Indian captain in the opening Test in Perth. But in a recent update, Sports Tak has learnt that Rohit Sharma won't be travelling to Australia with the Indian Team, hence is likely to miss the series opener as his wife Ritika Sajdeh is expecting their second child.
Rohit Sharma to miss India's first Test against Australia
To streamline the travel arrangements, Team India will be traveling to Australia in two batches, one on November 10 and the other on November 11. Earlier, it was reported that Rohit Sharma will be travelling to Australia with the first batch on November 11. But the current update hints otherwise. In Rohit's absence Jasprit Bumrah is expected to captain Team India in the opening Test.
It has been also been learnt that the delivery of Rohit's second child is expected in the coming week and the Indian captain will like to be with his wife and family around this time. This means Rohit won't play the Perth Test and Bumrah will take the charge of Team India. If things go according to the recent updates, Rohit will definitely join Team India for the second Test in Adelaide which will be played from December 6.
Earlier, in the press-conference following India's 0-3 Test series sweep against New Zealand, Rohit had said:
"I am not sure of my availability for the first Test in Perth, Fingers Crossed."
The Border-Gavaskar Trophy is paramount for both the teams as far as WTC 2023-2025's final spot is concerned.
India's hopes of securing a spot in the WTC final took a hit following a disappointing series whitewash against New Zealand. They now occupy the second position in the WTC standings. Prior to the series, India required four wins in eight Tests to automatically qualify. However, their recent performance necessitates a more aggressive approach, with four or five wins in Australia becoming the new target.
A 3-0 series victory in Australia would virtually guarantee India's qualification for the final, but the outcome of the New Zealand-England series would also play a crucial role. If India secures a 3-0, 3-1, or 4-1 series win, they would qualify for the final as long as England manages at least one draw against New Zealand.
A 2-0 series win for India would require England to defeat New Zealand in at least one Test. Furthermore, a 3-2 series win for India would necessitate England defeating New Zealand in one Test and Sri Lanka defeating Australia in one Test to secure India's position in the top two of the WTC standings.
India’s squad for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy:
Rohit Sharma (C), Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (WK), Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (WK), R Ashwin, R Jadeja, Mohd. Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar.
Reserves: Mukesh Kumar, Navdeep Saini, Khaleel Ahmed
Australia Test squad for Border-Gavaskar Trophy against India:
Pat Cummins (captain), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitch Marsh, Nathan McSweeney, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc.
