India and Australia are set to revitalise their ongoing rivalry when they take the field for the first Test of the Border Gavaskar Trophy in Perth on November 22. However, ahead of the first Test, there has been much debate about the captaincy for India, with captain Rohit Sharma likely to miss the Perth Test. Former Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar suggested that if Rohit doesn’t make it in time for the first Test, Jasprit Bumrah should be appointed captain for the entire series.
Gavaskar’s suggestion did not sit well with former Australia captain Aaron Finch, who stated that Rohit is unavailable due to the birth of his child which is a special moment, and should be allowed as much time as he needs. Notably, Rohit Sharma and his wife Ritika Sajdeh were blessed with a baby boy on Friday.
Adding more fuel to the debate, former Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh has also joined the chorus, supporting Gavaskar’s call and stating that appointing Bumrah as captain for the whole series should not be an issue, given that he possesses leadership abilities.
Jasprit Bumrah as captain for BGT 2024:
In an interaction with Jatin Sapru on his YouTube channel, Harbhajan called out the fans for changing sides very quickly. He stated that the fans would want Bumrah to continue as India captain if he succeeds in his responsibilities in the 1st and 2nd Test and if he doesn’t they would want the return of Rohit Sharma.
He said, “If you win the first two Tests, then all Indians would want Bumrah to remain as captain. On the contrary, if India lose both of those games, they would want Rohit to return. We change sides very quickly. I’m not talking about Sunny sir here; I’m talking about the general public. I feel it’s a great suggestion to have one captain for the entire series. That would be better. If India lose, nobody will question it. However, if India win and Rohit returns for the subsequent matches and then the team lose, that will spark a whole different scenario. But if India lose under both Rohit and Bumrah, they might want Virat Kohli as captain,” he said.
Later, when hard-pressed about Gavaskar’s suggestions, Harbhajan said, “It might not be a bad idea. There shouldn’t be any problem as well because Bumrah has the ability to lead a team.”
Will Rohit Sharma play 1st IND vs AUS Test in Perth?
While there has been no official confirmation from either the BCCI or Indian team management, Rohit is all but certain to miss the 1st Test match. However, the veteran Indian player is all to resume his duties from the 2nd match from November 30 and could even participate in a 2 day warm up match.
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