The Indian captain made a curious move just 48 hours before the fifth Test at the SCG, and it looks like he might not play.
Rohit Sharma didn’t practice in the slips ahead of the fifth cricket Test at the SCG on Friday, and coach Gautam Gambhir has refused to guarantee his place in India’s XI. The Aussies have bit the bullet and axed Mitch Marsh for the fifth Test, but Mitchell Starc has been ruled fit to play.
And India captain Sharma appears set for the axe after he mysteriously withdrew from speaking at an event on Wednesday amid reports of unrest in the tourists’ camp. Gambhir refused to guarantee the under-fire captain will play in the fifth and deciding Test against Australia, and he was noticeably missing when the slips cordon practiced their catching on Thursday.
Gambhir confirmed to the media on Thursday that Akash Deep will miss Friday’s Test with a back injury, in one guaranteed change for Sydney. But when asked directly whether embattled captain Rohit would play in Sydney with India needing a win to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Gambhir refused to answer directly.
“We are going to have a look at the wicket and announce our playing XI tomorrow,” Gambhir said. Asked again if he could guarantee the opener’s spot, Gambhir responded: “The answer remains the same.”
Gambhir’s appearance at the pre-match press conference was also unusual as each team captain usually fronts the media instead. Gambhir also spoke in place of Rohit at Wednesday night’s Prime Minister’s official function at Kirribilli House.
“Everything is fine with Rohit, I don’t think it is anything traditional (for him to speak today),” Gambhir said. “The head coach is here, that should be good enough.”
India coach responds to claims of unrest
The Indian Express published an explosive report earlier on Wednesday that claimed players and coaching staff were at odds, and head coach Gambhir had told the squad he’s “had enough”. The situation then took a curious twist on Wednesday afternoon when Sharma pulled out of speaking at the.
The Australian and Indian players were all in attendance, but according to News Corp Sharma backed out of a planned speaking spot. Sam Konstas and Virat Kohli even posed for a selfie after their physical altercation at the MCG, but it was coach Gambhir who addressed the audience rather than Sharma. According to the report from the Indian Express, Sharma’s captaincy has been undermined during their tour of Australia.
Gambhir fired back on Thursday, saying: “It was just reports, that’s not the truth. And I don’t think I need to answer reports. There were some honest words, and honesty is very important if you want to go on and achieve great things.
“It’s the team-first ideology that matters. It’s a team sport and you need to play what the team needs you to do. People can play their natural game, but in a team sport individuals only contribute. If you need to play in a certain way, I think you have to do it.”
Mitch Marsh replaced by Beau Webster for fifth Test
Pat Cummins revealed on Thursday that Beau Webster will make his debut in the series finale after selectors ran out of patience with the out-of-form Marsh. The all-rounder has rarely bowled in the series and struggled for runs with the bat, with scores of 9, 5, 4, 2 and 0 from his past five innings.
Webster will make his Test debut in Marsh’s spot, after averaging 57.1 in first-class cricket since March 2022, while also picking up 81 wickets at 31.7. “‘Mitchy’ obviously hasn’t quite got the runs, and perhaps wickets this series,” Cummins told reporters on Thursday. “So we felt like it was time for a freshen up and Beau’s been great. It’s a shame for Mitchy, because we know how much he brings to the team, but feel like now it’s a good week for Beau to get a chance.”
Cummins said Marsh understood the decision and wasn’t “blindsided” by it. “Really excited for Beau; the first thing he (Marsh) said was ‘I can’t wait to see Beau go out there and give it a crack’,” Cummins said.
“Particularly here in Australia, I think when a batter misses out or gets dropped, it’s always seen as a big thing. But the way that (Australia coach Andrew McDonald), and the selectors and myself look at is we love pulling a squad of players together who we can call on at different times.”
