Former India player turned veteran commentator Aakash Chopra expects India captain Rohit Sharma to be available for the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 after the birth of his second child as well. He shared that there is almost a week left before the start of the first Test as well. However, Rohit Sharma’s availability for the first Test starting in Perth on Friday, November 22, was uncertain due to the impending birth of his second child as well.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel ‘Aakash Chopra’, he said, “Rohit and Ritika are blessed with a baby boy. Congratulations to Rohit and Ritika. Since the baby is born and there is a week’s gap in between, the Test match will start on the 22nd, there is a strong possibility Rohit Sharma might be seen playing in the first Test match, and I will say thumbs up,” he said. “Abhimanyu Easwaran was among the options kept for him thus far. It seems like he is not even an option right now based on the reports from Australia. They were practicing in Perth and they played a few games, and he has not scored the runs.”
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“KL Rahul also got injured. Prasidh Krishna’s ball hit him on his elbow and he didn’t take part in that session again. Shubman Gill has also now gotten injured. He was doing catch practice and got hurt on his finger and they are saying that it is apparently fractured. If he has a fractured finger, it takes at least two weeks, and at times it takes three as well. If it takes three weeks, there will be a doubt about the second Test match as well. It means he is also out of the first Test match. In such a scenario, if Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill and KL Rahul aren’t there, why are we playing at all? (Mohammed) Shami is also not there. This is not right,” he further added.
In the same video, Aakash Chopra also urged Rohit Sharma to be available for the first Test against Australia as well.
“So Rohit Sharma, firstly congratulations on the new addition to your family. We are very happy for it. Now please go and play in Perth. Another thing is that since he has started opening in overseas Test matches, he has missed 12 and played only 10, and we need to put that record straight, that he should have played more and missed less. This is what we want,” Aakash Chopra concluded.
