BGT 2024-25: Rohit Sharma opts out of Sydney Test amid poor form; Shubman Gill set to return - Report

Indian Test team captain Rohit Sharma will sit out of the Sydney Test match against Australia starting on Friday (Jan 3) as the two sides prepare for the series finale. According to several media reports, Rohit has informed chief selector Ajit Agarkar and head coach Gautam Gambhir that he will not play in the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) contest with Shubman Gill replacing him in the batting order. The likely change will also see Jasprit Bumrah captain the side as he did in the Perth Test in November.

Rohit Sharma to sit out of SCG Test?

According to a report in The Indian Express, Rohit has informed the team management of his decision to sit out of the key tie as India are trailing 1-2 in the five-match series. So far in five innings in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, the Indian skipper has scored just 31 runs and has been going through a rough patch. He returned to the Indian side for the Adelaide Test and batted in the middle order, having opted to play out of his preferred opening spot.

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However, he returned to the opening slot for the Boxing Day Test but failed to impress as he scored 3 and 9. His manner of dismissal was also a huge talking point, having thrown away his wicket on the last day of the MCG Test.

Gill to return

If the report is true, Gill will be back in the India team’s Playing XI having sat out of the Boxing Day Test. The Indian batter is likely to play at No. 3, meaning KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal will play in the opening spot. There are also talks of Dhruv Jurel coming into the team in case the team management decides to drop Rishabh Pant. However, Virat Kohli will remain unbothered and will feature in the final contest as India look to retain the BGT and keep their remote World Test Championship (WTC) final qualification hopes alive.