The Veteran Indian cricketer Rohit Sharma is going to miss the fourth and the final Test of the Border Gavaskar Trophy against Australia in Syndey. Team India registered an emphatic win in the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne on Sunday and soon after that Sharma heard the news of the birth of his daughter and he decided to come back home. He will returning back to Australia to join the ODI squad on January 8 ahead of the three-match series that begins on January 12, the BCCI announced on Monday
India regained Border Gavaskar trophy with the 137-run win at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). Rohit played two Tests on the tour, scoring half-century at the MCG in India’s first innings. In four innings, He amassed 106 runs at 35.33 with the highest score of 63*.
One of the sources of Times of India said, “It would’ve been great to have him (Rohit) around. Tactically, he brings so much to the side and then his batting provides the right kind of balance to the side. But what awaits him is far bigger and more important.”
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Rohit and his wife Ritika Sajdeh gave the birth to their first child and hence will not be featuring in the playing XI for the Sydney Test starting January 3. With his absence, the all-rounder Hardik Pandya might be included for the final Test. However, India might be tempted to play an extra spinner in either Ravichandran Ashwin or Kuldeep Yadav considering the spin-friendly nature of the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG).
Update – Rohit Sharma to join ODI squad on 8th January
India batsman @ImRo45 left for Mumbai on the 30th of December to attend to his wife who has delivered a baby girl. The BCCI congratulates Rohit on the beginning of a new chapter in his life. pic.twitter.com/7jokivuLGT
— BCCI (@BCCI) December 31, 2018
The news has been shared by Ritika’s cousin, Seema Khan, who also happens to be the wife of the Bollywood celebrity Sohail Khan as she shared a story on her Instagram profile.
The Test series is set to witness an interesting finish with India within touching distance of claiming their first win on Australian soil. They won the first Test in Adelaide to go 1-0. However, on the uneven track of Perth, they were beaten with the hosts drawing level before the tourists bounced back in Melbourne to retain the trophy.
Australia has also included a leg-spinning allrounder Marnus Labuschagne in their squad for the final Test.
