India head coach Gautam Gambhir played it coy when asked if Rohit Sharma, the captain of the Test side, would play in the fifth and final Test match against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
Australia lead the series 2-1 after an impressive 184-run victory in the fourth Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground but India have the chance to tie the series should they win in Sydney.
The form of their captain is a worry though as Rohit is averaging just 10.93 in his last nine Test matches and only 6.2 in this series. He scored 3 and 9 in Melbourne and was dismissed both times by opposite number Pat Cummins.
Gambhir, meanwhile, was frosty from the start of his pre-match press conference and said: “The head coach is here, that should be enough,” when asked why Rohit was not also addressing the media.
India’s captain had also skipped the press conference ahead of the third Test in Brisbane but on that occasion Shubman Gill had attended in his place. In Sydney, Gambhir spoke to the media alone which has increased speculation over Rohit’s future with the team.
“Everything is fine with Rohit,” Gambhir told reporters before adding that “we’re going to have a look at the wicket and finalise it [the team line-up] tomorrow,” when asked if Rohit was going to play.
Rohit himself is very aware of his down turn in form but feels as though he is not too far away from things clicking back into place. Speaking after the third Test in Brisbane he said: “As long as my mind, my body, my feet are moving well, I am pretty happy with how things are panning out for me.
“Sometimes those numbers can tell you that it’s been a while since he has got big runs. But for a person like me, I think it’s all about how I feel in my mind.”
Yet after the defeat in Melbourne the India captain admitted to feeling the mental strain of such an intense series. He said: “As a batter as well, a lot of the things that I am trying to do is not falling in the place that I would want to but mentally, it is disturbing without a doubt.”
Australia also have doubts of their own with Mitchell Starc facing a late push to see if he can overcome a rib injury from the previous match in Melbourne. The fifth Test begins on 3 January 2025 in Sydney.
