If Rohit is not available for Perth Test, Bumrah will lead India: Gambhir

India head coach Gautam Gambhir on Monday said that if Rohit Sharma is unavailable for the opening Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series in Perth, vice-captain Jasprit Bumrah will lead the team.

With Rohit uncertain for the first Test against Australia due to personal reasons, Bumrah is one of the likely candidates to captain India in the series opener.

Gambhir, who remained unsure about Rohit’s availability for the first Test, confirmed that in the event of Rohit’s absence, Bumrah would take over the captaincy.

“At the moment there’s no confirmation. Hopefully, he will be available. We will take a call closer to the first Test if Rohit is not available. KL Rahul is there. Abhimanyu is there. We will try to field the best possible playing XI,” Gambhir said during a pre-departure press conference, addressing Rohit’s participation in the Perth Test.

Bumrah had previously captained India in the rescheduled fifth Test against England at Edgbaston, Birmingham, in 2022, when Covid-19 ruled out Rohit from playing.

“Jasprit Bumrah is the vice-captain, obviously if Rohit Sharma is not available, he will be leading the side,” Gambhir added when asked who would take over as captain in Rohit’s absence.

Gambhir also backed KL Rahul to do his job at the top of the batting order and praised his ability to perform in multiple positions for the team.

“You go with experienced players as well. I think that is the quality of a man that he can actually bat at the top of the order, you can bat at number three, and he can actually bat in the sixth position as well. So you need quite a lot of talent to be doing these kinds of jobs as well, and he kept wickets in a one-day format as well.

“So imagine how many countries have players like KL Rahul who can actually open the batting and can bat at number six as well. So I feel that if needed, he can do the job for us, especially if Rohit is not available for the first Test match,” Gambhir said.

An initial group of the Indian squad, including fast bowlers Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep, assistant coach Abhishek Nayar, all-rounder Washington Sundar, middle-order batter Sarfaraz Khan, and opening batter Yashasvi Jaiswal, departed for Australia on Sunday night for the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy from Mumbai.

The first Test begins on November 22 in Perth. Adelaide hosts the second Test starting December 6, followed by Brisbane on December 14. The Boxing Day Test takes place in Melbourne on December 26, with the fifth and final Test beginning on January 3, 2025, in Sydney.

This will be the first time India and Australia play a five-match Test series.

The upcoming series is crucial for India’s World Test Championship final hopes, following a recent 3-0 series defeat to New Zealand. India’s points percentage currently stands at 58.33%, behind table-topper Australia.

To strengthen their chances of qualifying for the third successive WTC final, India must win at least four of the five Tests.