New Delhi: Team India would be looking to sign off the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 on a high when they lock horns with Australia in the series finale at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Friday. India have many tough decisions to make ahead of the much-awaited series-decider as it is a must-win match for the visitors not only with respect to retaining the BGT for a fifth time but also keep chances alive for qualifying for the World Test Championship (WTC) 2025 final.
Thursday marked quite a dramatic day in the history of Indian cricket as the entire media sphere was filled with rumours about skipper Rohit Sharma being dropped from the Sydney Test. While some media sources mentioned that Rohit has been axed, others wrote that the skipper has opted out of the series finale. Ahead of the fifth Test match, head coach Gautam Gambhir remained tight-lipped when asked about the same, saying that a final call would only be taken after assessing the pitch on the opening morning.
Rohit’s spot under scrutiny
The spot of the Indian skipper is under heavy scrutiny as it is possible that India could participate in the match without him. Multiple media reports also mentioned that ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah will take charge as the skipper of the side while some reports mentioned that senior batter Virat Kohli will assume duty as a captain for the Sydney Test. No official confirmation has yet been circulated in the matter.
In all likelihood, if Rohit gets dropped or he opts out, talented Shubman Gill, who was left out of the MCG Test, would get his place back in the playing XI. In that case, KL Rahul is expected to open the innings again for India. Rumours about wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant being replaced by Dhruv Jurel are also doing the rounds but nothing has been officially communicated. A change which is certain is the exclusion of pacer Akash Deep, who has suffered a back issue and it is confirmed that he will be replaced by either Harshit Rana or Prasidh Krishna in the playing XI.
India’s Predicted XI for Sydney Test
Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Reddy, Washington Sundar, Harshit Rana, Jasprit Bumrah (captain), Mohammed Siraj.
India would look to sign off the Border-Gavaskar Trophy with a victory when they lock horns with Australia in the series finale at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Friday. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
