In a huge development, the Gautam Gambhir-led coaching staff seems to have replaced Rohit Sharma as the opener of the Test team.
India National Cricket Team skipper Rohit Sharma was not listed as the opener in the pink-ball tour game against Australia’s Prime Minister’s XI, which is currently underway at the Manuka Oval in Canberra on Sunday, December 1.
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Gautam Gambhir removed Rohit Sharma as opener? India captain listed as No.5 in the match vs Prime Minister’s XI
The first day of the two-day pink-ball match between the teams was washed out due to rain, and the rules were changed for the match before the start of Day 2. The match was converted into a 50-over-per-side clash.
On Day 2, India National Cricket Team skipper Rohit Sharma won the toss and opted to bowl first in the one-day match. Rohit Sharma was not named in the team as an opener as the opening spots were given to Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul.
The Indian captain was listed at the No.5 spot, which is a position where Rishabh Pant usually bats. Rohit has batted in several positions in Test cricket, from the opening spot to No.6. However, in the last few years, he has played as an opener and has done a great job for India.
Teams for India vs Prime Minister’s XI clash:
India (Batting XI, Fielding XI): Rohit Sharma(c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant(w), KL Rahul, Dhruv Jurel, Nitish Reddy, Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Harshit Rana, Sarfaraz Khan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Devdutt Padikkal
Prime Minister’s XI (Batting XI, Fielding XI): Jack Edwards(c), Matt Renshaw, Jack Clayton, Oliver Davies, Jayden Goodwin, Sam Harper(w), Charlie Anderson, Sam Konstas, Scott Boland, Lloyd Pope, Hanno Jacobs, Mahli Beardman, Aidan O Connor, Jem Ryan, Jack Nisbet
Not to decode much in this warmup match vs PM XI, but Rohit Sharma listed at number 5 is pretty interesting. #BGT pic.twitter.com/NhbJwR5VEL
— Subhayan Chakraborty (@CricSubhayan) December 1, 2024
KL Rahul performed brilliantly in Rohit Sharma’s absence
Rohit Sharma had skipped the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 opener against Australia National Cricket Team due to family commitments. He and his wife were blessed with a baby boy recently, and the Indian captain decided to stay with his family for some time before travelling to Australia for the series.
Jasprit Bumrah, the designated vice-captain, led the team in the first Test. In the absence of Rohit as well as Shubman Gill, who was ruled out of the Perth Test due to a thumb injury, Indian team management gave the opening spot to KL Rahul and the No.3 spot to Devdutt Padikkal.
Padikkal didn’t look very comfortable while facing the Australian bowlers, but Rahul looked a class apart. KL Rahul batted exceptionally well against the new ball and he was terrific in both the innings.
The 32-year-old scored 26 runs off 74 balls in the first innings before being given out in a controversial fashion. Also, in the second innings, he slammed 77 runs off 176 balls and was involved in a sensational 201-run opening partnership with Yashasvi Jaiswal.