Former Cricketer Congratulates Rohit Sharma, Urges Him to Play in Perth Test
There is still suspense about Rohit Sharma's availability for the entire Border-Gavaskar Trophy series. Meanwhile, former cricketer Surendra Khanna congratulated Rohit on becoming a father for the second time. But he now asked the Indian Test captain to get involved in the important Test series as soon as possible.
Rohit had already told the BCCI that he will not be present for the first Test due to personal reasons. Therefore, vice-captain Jasprit Bumrah will lead the team in the Perth Test.
Khanna told IANS,
"First of all, I want to congratulate Rohit and his family on this happy occasion. Rohit now has a daughter and a son, that is, now his family is complete and congratulations to him for that. Now Rohit should join the team as soon as possible. I remember when I got married, I had to return for a match on the day of my reception. When I reached my room, it was 4 in the morning and my wife woke me up to go to the airport for the match. This kind of commitment gives players a different identity."
After suffering an embarrassing defeat against New Zealand, Team India is now preparing to face the Aussies. After a 3-0 clean sweep against the Kiwis at home, Team India's confidence will be weakening.
This disappointing result has added to their troubles for the crucial Australia series.
The first Test starts in Perth from November 22. Adelaide will host the second Test, starting on December 6. After this, the third Test will be played in Brisbane on 14 December. The Boxing Day Test will be played in Melbourne, starting December 26. The fifth and final Test will be played in Sydney on January 3, 2025.
This will be the first time that Team India and Australia will play a five-match Test series . The upcoming series after the defeat against New Zealand is crucial for India's World Test Championship (WTC) final hopes, as India's points percentage is currently 58.33 per cent, behind table-toppers Australia in the standings.
India will have to win at least four out of five Tests to strengthen their chances of qualifying for the third successive WTC final.