I would've done the same: Travis Head backs Rohit Sharma's decision to skip Perth Test for paternity leave

Australian batter Travis Head has backed India's regular captain Rohit Sharma for opting out of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy opening Test, which kicks off on Nov. 22 in Perth, due to paternity leave. On Nov. 15 (Friday), Rohit and his wife Ritika Sajdeh were blessed with their second child. Thus, Hitman has informed the BCCI of not being available for the first Test and will join the Indian squad prior to the second Test in Adelaide. Head has backed the Indian captain for being with his family and stated that he 'would have done the same'.

Head opined on Rohit's absence and told the press on the sidelines of Australia's training in Perth, "Hundred per cent, I support Rohit's decision. I would have done the same in the same situation. We sacrifice a lot of things as a cricketer. We do live a very privileged life and we do also get looked after. But also on the flip side we keep missing important milestones. So, ya, I would do the same thing if I was in his position, you do not get that time back. Hopefully, he returns at some stage in this series."

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India's tour of Australia has commenced with several issues. KL Rahul got injured in the training camp, whereas Shubman Gill has been ruled out of the opening Testdue to a thumb injury. While Rahul has recovered, Gill is set to miss the series opener. With Rohit and Gill not in the playing XI, India's batting lineup looks under a lot of pressure before the series opener. Head, however, feels one cannot 'rule out any Indian team'. In the 2020/21 tour, India dealt with several injuries, whereasthen captain Virat Kohli returned home after the first Test due to paternity leave but still managed to overcome a 0-1deficit to win 2-1.

Thus, Head hasn't written India off and said, "If you look at our history, you would not rule out any Indian team. Last two trips, they had injuries, they have doubts, people have questioned them, but they have pulled out good performances. Whoever they play, it is going to be a strong team."

India squad for 2024/25 BGT:

Rohit Sharma (c), Jasprit Bumrah (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (WK), Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar.

Travelling reserves:Mukesh Kumar, Navdeep Saini, Khaleel Ahmed