Will Rohit play in Sydney? Gambhir’s cryptic response sparks uncertainty
Sydney (The Uttam Hindu): "The head coach is here. That should be enough," Gautam Gambhir remarked to reporters, who were eager to know why India's captain, Rohit Sharma was absent from the pre-match press conference in Sydney.
Rohit had also skipped the press conference before the third Test in Brisbane with Shubman Gill stepping in but the reason then was that he had not attended the optional training session at the Gabba, where the conference was held. Similarly, Thursday's training session at the SCG was optional yet Rohit was present at the ground on the eve of the New Year's Test which India must win to draw the series and retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Naturally, the question arose: Is Rohit okay?
"Everything is fine with Rohit," Gambhir responded, though he refrained from confirming whether the captain would feature in the playing XI on Friday. "We'll have a look at the wicket and finalize it tomorrow," Gambhir added, fueling the uncertainty. Rohit has been struggling with form, averaging just 10.93 in his last nine Tests and only 6.2 in this series. He was late for India’s training on Thursday. While the session was optional, all the other players had arrived on time. Shubman Gill, who was dropped for the MCG Test, was among the first to practice in the SCG nets, along with Dhruv Jurel, who hasn't played since the first Test in Perth. Rohit, however, arrived an hour into the training session, wearing a sweatshirt and shorts. He went directly to team analyst Hari, where he was later joined by Jasprit Bumrah. This sequence mirrored the situation in Melbourne, where Rohit had a late start but also attended the press conference.
At the SCG, Rohit had a light 40-minute session, facing throwdowns from fielding coach T Dilip and Daya off the sidearm. By the time he arrived, the other frontline batters had finished their stints. Rohit showed some good moments, including a pull shot off the front foot, a playful moment when he smiled after an awkward throw-back, and a few signs of struggle, such as leaving a delivery that took out his off stump. After the Brisbane Test, Rohit had acknowledged that while his batting wasn’t at its best, he was ticking the right boxes mentally and physically. "As long as my mind, my body, my feet are moving well, I am pretty happy with how things are panning out for me," he had said.
In Melbourne, Rohit seemed to regain some confidence, withstanding a challenging period of bowling from Australia but eventually fell to a risky flick shot. "A lot of the things I am trying to do are not falling into place as I would want them to," he admitted, after India went 2-1 down in the series. "But mentally, it is disturbing without a doubt." Speculation surfaced that Rohit might be considering retirement after the Sydney Test, raising the question: If that’s the case, why not step away now while the series is still in progress? Typically, India doesn’t reveal their playing XI the day before a Test match, but Gambhir’s refusal to confirm Rohit’s inclusion was unusual. Doesn’t the captain automatically walk into the XI? Isn’t he the one who decides who plays? With the new year starting with plenty of uncertainty, the fate of India’s captain in Sydney remains a matter of intrigue.
