Gautam Gambhir Dodges Question on Rohit Sharma's Inclusion in India XI for Sydney Test: 'Head Coach Will Decide'

India head coach Gautam Gambhir has not yet confirmed whether captain Rohit Sharma will be playing in the final Test against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground. With Australia leading the series 2-1 and India facing defeats in two out of the three Tests played after their initial triumph in Perth, the team's final line-up remains uncertain.

Notably, the win in Perth came under the captaincy of ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah. The defeat in the previous match in Melbourne, combined with India's stunning 3-0 capitulation at home to New Zealand before this, meant that Rohit has now gone six Test matches without a win.

Gambhir appeared in the pre-match press conference as opposed to Rohit, despite captains normally appearing for the interaction on the eve of matches. When asked why Rohit is absent, Gambhir said that “everything is fine” with the 37-year-old and that the presence of the head coach in the press conference should be enough.

“Everything is fine with Rohit and I don't think it's anything traditional. The head coach is here and that should be good enough. We are going to have a look at the wicket and finalise it tomorrow,” said the former opener.

When pressed about the matter, Gambhir said: “As I just said we are going to have a look at the wicket and announce our playing XI tomorrow. The answer remains the same.”

Rohit's forgettable form

Apart from the dip in fortunes as captain, Rohit is also going through a rather stunning drop in form with the bat. Across the three series he played so far in India's ongoing season, two of which were at home, Rohit scored only 164 runs in 15 innings at a shocking average of just 10.93, with one half-century score. Of those, 31 runs came in the ongoing tour of Australia, where he managed just one double-digit score.

Rohit's average at the end of the double failure in Melbourne stood just 6.20, the lowest-ever batting average for a touring captain in a Test series in Australia (minimum five innings). Previously, the record belonged to West Indies bowling legend Courtney Walsh, who had recorded an average of just 7.75 in the 1996/97 tour of Australia.

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