SYDNEY – Indian cricket team captain Rohit Sharma has been left out of the fifth and final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia.
The last Test of the series is being played in Sydney, where India won the toss and chose to bat first. India made two changes to their lineup for this crucial match, with Rohit Sharma being surprisingly dropped. Jasprit Bumrah has been named as the stand-in captain.
Bumrah also led the Indian team in the first Test in Rohit Sharma’s absence, guiding them to a victory over the hosts.
In the Sydney Test, Shubman Gil replaced Rohit Sharma while Prasidh Krishna has come in for Akash Deep.
At the toss, Jasprit Bumrah revealed that Rohit Sharma decided to rest for this match.
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Rohit Sharma faced significant criticism after the defeat in the Melbourne Test as he appeared out of form throughout the series.
Following the humiliating loss in Melbourne, the atmosphere in the Indian dressing room was reportedly tense. Head coach Gautam Gambhir was reportedly furious with the players’ performances.
The Indian media reported that after the Melbourne defeat, there was a lack of unity within the team, with selectors, players and coaching staff seemingly not on the same page.
Australian defeat sparks head coach’s outburst
According to the reports, Head Coach Gautam Gambhir sternly criticized the players, without naming anyone, during a team meeting.
He reportedly said, “Enough is enough. Under the pretense of playing their natural game, players are doing whatever they want and failing to follow the given plans.”
The head coach warned that any player failing to adhere to strategies would be shown the door.
Adding to the speculation, Rohit Sharma did not attend the pre-match press conference on Thursday, which was instead handled by Gambhir.
This fueled rumors of a potential rift between the captain and the coach.
Australia currently leads the five-match series 2-1.
