New Delhi: After an embarrassing 3-0 whitewash at the hands of New Zealand in the recently concluded Test series, India are gearing up for the Border Gavaskar Trophy against Australia which starts on November 22 in Perth. The series holds major significance as India need to beat Australia in at least four Tests out of the five to qualify for the World Test Championship (WTC) final in 2025, without worrying about other teams’ results.
Amid the WTC scenario, there are several reports claiming that captain Rohit Sharma might miss the first Test due to “personal reasons.” Responding to those reports, legendary batter Sunil Gavaskar said that the team should go for a new skipper for the entire series if Rohit is not able to make it to the first couple of Tests.
“We have been reading that Rohit Sharma will not play in the first Test, perhaps he will not play in the second as well. If this is the case, then I say that, right now, the Indian selection committee should say that ‘if you have to rest, rest, if there are personal reasons then look at them. But if you are missing two-thirds of the matches then you should go for this tour only as a player. We will make the vice-captain the captain of this tour’,” Gavaskar spoke to Sports Tak.
Gavaskar reasoned that Indian cricket is most important and having lost the series against the Kiwis 3-0, there is a need for a captain as he has to unite the team. “If there is no captain in the beginning, it is better to make someone else the captain,” he added.
Ritika at Rohit’s rescue
However, former Australia captain Aaron Finch disagreed with the comments of Gavaskar. “I disagree with Sunny on that totally. Rohit Sharma is the captain of the Indian cricket team. If you need to stay at home because your wife is having a baby… that’s such a beautiful moment… and you take all the time that you need in that regard,” Finch had told ESPNcricinfo.
Rohit’s wife Ritika Sajdeh appreciated the stance of Finch. On a viral social media post that included the comments of Gavaskar and Finch, Ritika mentioned the latter in the comments and reacted with a “salute” emoticon. The comment has gained many likes as well.
Here’s Ritika’s reaction to Finch’s comment –
Ritika Sajdeh’s reply on the Aaron Finch’s statement for Indian Captain Rohit Sharma. 🤯 pic.twitter.com/CqtolssSyG
— Tanuj Singh (@ImTanujSingh) November 9, 2024
Amid reports of Rohit Sharma missing the first Test against Australia, Sunil Gavaskar has said that the team should appoint a new captain for the entire series if the star batter is unable to make it on time. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
