New Delhi, India

India men’s cricket team head coach Gautam Gambhir is set to return home for a family emergency, hours after India won the opening Birder-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) contest in Perth. According to media reports on Tuesday (Nov 26), Gambhir will fly back to India and is expected to be back Down Under before the second Test match in Adelaide begins on Friday (Dec 6). India won the Perth Test by 295 runs and have a 1-0 lead heading into the pink-ball contest.

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Gambhir to head back to India

According to Espncricinfo, a prominent cricket website, Gambhir is on his way back to India for a family emergency which will see him stay away from the side for the next few days. He is likely to miss India’s fixture against Prime Minister’s XI, a two-day warm-up fixture, before heading into the Adelaide Test. However, he is unlikely to miss the second BGT contest in Adelaide which starts on Dec 6, giving enough time for a return.

The former India opener has been on the receiving end of some criticism after Rohit Sharma’s side lost to New Zealand 0-3 earlier in November. However, those critics went silent on Monday as India beat Australia in the Perth Test.

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An inspired performance from veteran players like Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah was the difference-maker for India, having been bowled out for 150 in their first innings. Virat scored his 30th Test hundred against Australia on Sunday while Bumrah's match-winning spell took India home and kept them in the hunt for the World Test Championship (WTC) final at Lord’s in June 2025.

The win on Monday has seen Rohit’s army reclaim the top spot in the WTC standings and will look for solid performance in the second Test. Skipper Rohit Sharma is in Australia after missing the first Test due to paternity leave and should lead the side. Shubman Gill is also expected to be back in the Playing XI with Devdutt Padikkal and Dhruv Jurel expected to make way for the duo.