IND vs AUS: Rohit Sharma set to miss first Test against Australia in Perth

India captain Rohit Sharma will not play in the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, starting November 22 at the Optus Stadium. He stayed back in India for the birth of his second child and will join the team ahead of the second Test in Adelaide, which begins on December 6.  

Rohit had informed the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and selectors earlier about his potential absence. Although his child was born a week before the Perth Test, Rohit decided against last-minute travel and confirmed he would play in the pink-ball warm-up game against the Australian Prime Minister's XI on November 30.  

In his absence, vice-captain Jasprit Bumrah will lead the team. Bumrah previously captained India in the fifth Test against England at Edgbaston in 2022.  

India will also miss Shubman Gill, who has been ruled out of the first Test due to a fractured thumb. With Rohit and Gill unavailable, India faces a challenge in finding their top-order combination. KL Rahul and Abhimanyu Easwaran are the leading candidates to open alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal. Both Rahul and Easwaran are likely to feature in the playing XI.  

India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir and his team face a tough start to their overseas campaign. This series marks Gambhir’s first as head coach, following India’s historic 3-0 home series defeat against New Zealand earlier this year.  

The team might consider strengthening their lower order by including one of two seam-bowling allrounders, Nitish Kumar Reddy or Harshit Rana, at No. 8. Both players are yet to make their Test debuts.  

India has been training at the WACA this week and will shift to the Optus Stadium on Tuesday to finalize preparations.