Rohit Sharma dropped a big doubt over his participation in the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia in Perth later this month due to personal reasons. Speaking at the post-match presentation ceremony after India’s 0-3 series loss against New Zealand, Rohit said that he has his “fingers crossed” on his participation. The Indian team is set to embark on a tough five-match Test series in Australia starting November 22 in Perth. “Not sure whether I will be going, fingers crossed,” Rohit said after India’s 25-run loss in the third Test to New Zealand.
In case Rohit misses the Test, vice-captain Jasprit Bumrah will lead the side in the series opener while Abhimanyu Easwaran is likely to be his cover.
With India’s 0-3 loss to New Zealand at home, the Border-Gavaskar Trophy has assumed more significance with both sides vying to reach the final of the World Test Championship (WTC) once again.
“We made a lot of mistakes and we will have to accept it. We did not put enough runs on the board in the 1st innings (in Bengaluru and Pune) and we were behind in the game, here, we got a 30-run lead, we thought we were ahead, the target was achievable as well, we had to do better though. You want runs on the board as well, that is something that was there in my mind,” he added.
Speaking on his batting struggles throughout the series, Rohit said that he couldn’t quite get his plans into practice and is as disappointed with his performances as anyone else. However, he was full of praise for youngsters Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant for showing how to bat on tough, spin-friendly pitches.
“You have got to be ahead and be proactive, we are playing on such pitches in the last 3-4 years, we know how to play (and play well). But this series, it did not come off and that is going to hurt. Also, I was not at my best with both bat and as a captain, that is something that will rankle me. But, we did not perform well collectively and that is the reason for these losses,” he concluded.
With PTI Inputs
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