Rohit Sharma To Join Indian Squad In Adelaide; To Play Warm-Up Game Ahead Of Pink-Ball Test | Report – News18

Last Updated:November 18, 2024, 00:08 IST

Rohit Sharma will reportedly rejoin the squad ahead of the 2nd Test in Adelaide and be part of the warm-up game ahead of the Pink Ball Test.

Indian captain Rohit Sharma will likely rejoin the squad ahead of the pink-ball Test in Adelaide. The skipper will also reportedly play the warm-up game prior to the second Test.

According to a report by ESPNCricinfo, Rohit had stayed home for the birth of his second child. He had already communicated to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the selectors well in advance regarding his absence. Still, he kept his options open regarding a possible last-minute travel depending on his child’s birth.

India will begin their Border-Gavaskar Trophy series without two of their top-order batters. Rohit’s absence was previously mentioned and Shubman Gill, their number three batter will miss the opening Test due to a fractured thumb.

Both KL Rahul and Abhimanyu Easwaran are front-runners to take up the opener’s slot to partner Yashasvi Jaiswal at the top of the batting order but it is a possibility that both could feature in the opening Test.

In addition to the two, India also has the option of playing the young left-handed batter, Devdutt Padikkal who has been asked to stay back in Australia with the Test team. He has played one Test in Dharamsala where he scored a half-century against England.

Rohit’s presence in the side will be of utmost importance as the side will hope that they can do what is needed to ensure that they secure a position in the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 final. For India to secure their position, they would have to win four and draw one of the five upcoming Tests against Australia, which is going to be a tough ask.

India will be eager to make a statement after their whitewash series defeat on home soil against New Zealand which raised many questions regarding the side’s batting concerns. The likes of Rohit and Virat Kohli have come under the scanner and the senior stars will be keen on responding to the critics.

To add some more firepower to their batting unit, India could look to play one of their pace-bowling all-rounders with Harshit Rana from Delhi and Nitish Reddy from Andhra Pradesh. Both men have had a stellar season in the Indian Premier League and have yet to make their Test debut.