Jasprit Bumrah Captain; Rohit Sharma OUT; India's 11 for Australia Sydney Test Leaked

India cricket team captain Rohit Sharma has reportedly played his last Test match, and that was the Boxing Day Test, where the tourists suffered an 184-run defeat against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in Melbourne last month.

With India’s WTC Final 2025 hopes hanging in the balance, they would be desperate to win the fifth and final Test against Australia, starting on Friday, January 3, 2025, at the iconic Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) to level the Test series and retain the prestigious Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Rohit Sharma set to miss New Year's Test, as Jasprit Bumrah takes over as India captain

Ahead of the New Year’s Test in Sydney, it is being said that Indian captain Rohit Sharma will be ‘rested’ for the fifth and final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 against Australia. The 36-year-old has decided to rest for the match, with the star paceman Jasprit Bumrah captaining the Indian cricket team in the do-or-die encounter against Australia in Sydney.

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The Indian Express confirmed that Rohit Sharma has informed the head coach, Gautam Gambhir, and chairman of selectors, Ajit Agarkar, about his decision to opt out of the New Year’s Test, and the possible reason behind this call was his poor form with the bat in the ongoing five-match Test series.

The report further claimed that both Gautam Gambhir and Ajit Agarkar have agreed to the Indian captain's decision, which means the vice-captain, Jasprit Bumrah, will walk out for the toss on Friday morning at the iconic Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) in Sydney.

Shubman Gill set to return for the SCG Test; Prasidh Krishna will replace injured Akash Deep

Meanwhile, this could also mean that the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne might have been Rohit Sharma's last Test for India, as he is highly unlikely to be part of the Indian cricket team for the next World Test Championship (WTC) cycle, which starts with a tour to England next summer.

On the other hand, Shubman Gill, who was left out of the Boxing Day Test at the MCG, is set to return to the playing XI in place of Rohit. However, Shubman Gill will bat at number three, while KL Rahul will return to open for India alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal in the New Year’s Test against Australia.

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Contrary to the reports, The Indian Express also revealed that the Indian wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant will keep his place in the team, while Prasidh Krishna will replace the injured Akash Deep, who has been ruled out of the final Test at the SCG.

Gautam Gambhir engages in crucial talks with Jasprit Bumrah at the SCG

On the eve of the New Year’s Test, Gautam Gambhir was seen having long, serious talks with Jasprit Bumrah while the team was doing fielding drills in Sydney. Rohit made a short appearance at the nets, where he batted with sidearm bowlers.

Rohit Sharma was one of the last players to join the practice session and was absent during the usual slip fielding drills at the SCG. Rohit has been badly struggling for runs, with an average of just 6.2 in his last three Tests in Australia and 10.93 over his last nine Test appearances.