Rohit Sharma all set to play Perth Test? Good news arrives ahead of BGT 2024-25

A good piece of news has arrived for the India National Cricket Team as skipper Rohit Sharma is likely to feature in the playing XI in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 opener against Australia National Cricket Team.

According to the latest report, the Indian captain Rohit Sharma is highly likely to travel to Australia ahead of the first Test in Perth.

Also Read: Australia declared Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli's 'real home' as Sanjay Manjrekar warns Aussies ahead of BGT

Rohit Sharma didn't travel with Team India to Australia

India National Cricket Team left in two batches to Australia for the five-match Test series and Rohit Sharma wasn't part of any of the two batches.

He stayed back in Mumbai due to family obligations as he and his wife, Ritika Sajdeh, are expecting their second child very soon.

Other Indian players have reached Down Under and started the practice sessions at the Western Australia Cricket Association (WACA) ground in Perth.

Meanwhile, the Indian skipper, despite not being with the team, has kept himself engaged with the game. The superstar batsman has been training at the Reliance Corporate Park (RCP) and has also been using the facilities of the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) for his sessions.

Rohit Sharma likely to be available for the first Test of BGT 2024-25

On Thursday, November 14, India Today reported that the chances of Rohit Sharma being available for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy opener are 'looking better by the day'.

This is because the second child of Rohit Sharma is likely to be born ahead of the first Test, and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has also started making all arrangements to ensure Rohit reaches Australia on time once his child is born.

Also, for the same reason, the India National Cricket Team head coach, Gautam Gambhir, didn't rule out the possibility of Rohit Sharma playing the first Test and was hopeful that the skipper would join the team on time for the series.

Who will replace Rohit Sharma in India XI if he misses out?

India head coach Gautam Gambhir had confirmed ahead of the departure of the team that Jasprit Bumrah will be leading the team in Australia if Rohit is not available.

He also stated that to replace Rohit as an opener in the playing XI, they have two options - Abhimanyu Easwaran and KL Rahul. Notably, both Easwaran and Rahul failed to impress in the unofficial Tests against Australia A and this would have left the Indian team management worried.

The domestic cricket superstar Easwaran registered scores of 0 & 17 and 7 & 12 in two matches, while KL Rahul scored 4 & 10 in the one match he played.

Talking about Rohit Sharma, he also hasn't been at his best with the bat in the recent Test matches. He scored just 42 runs at an average of 10.50 in the two-match Test series against the Bangladesh National Cricket Team and 91 runs at an average of 15.16 in the three-match Test series against the New Zealand National Cricket Team.