With three days remaining for the opening Test at the Optus Stadium in Perth, the Indian think tank led by head coach Gautam Gambhir has been challenged on several fronts.
In the first-ever overseas Test series under him, Gambhir has to sort out India’s top-order batting conundrum left by the absence of two members of their first-choice top three — in skipper Rohit Sharma, and the unfortunate thumb injury to Shubman Gill.
Rohit had communicated to the BCCI and national selectors in advance that he could miss the Perth Test, given that he was expecting his second child during the period. Rohit and his wife Ritika welcomed the newborn on Friday, a week ahead of the first Test, prompting the possibility of his travelling to Perth.
However, he informed the BCCI of his availability for the two-day, pink-ball warm-up game against the Australian Prime Minister’s XI from November 30 before the day-night Test in Adelaide.
In Rohit’s absence, vice-captain Jasprit Bumrah is set to lead India in Perth. Bumrah has led India in one Test previously, the fifth Test of their two-part 2021-22 tour of England at Edgbaston, when Rohit had tested positive for Covid-19.
Meanwhile, to make matters worse for the tourists, eyeing their third consecutive series win on Australian soil, Shubman Gill had fractured his thumb while fielding at slips on the second day of India’s simulated training game, and is set to miss the first Test. It has been learnt that the Punjab right-hander is racing against time to be fit for the second Test in Adelaide.
The only positive for India in the lead up to the opener of the crucial five-Test rubber for the Border-Gavaskar trophy against Australia, is the return of KL Rahul, who was declared fit for the Perth game, and it is highly likely that the Karnataka right-hander could be the frontrunner to partner Yashasvi Jaiswal at the top.
However, Rahul’s elevation as opener could also leave the No.6 spot unguarded, and the team management thus has a puzzle to solve. The absence of Rohit and Shubman, has left the team demanding a major rejig.
This brings the third opener in uncapped Abhimanyu Easwaran into the equation, and the Bengal opener could be handed a debut to partner Jaiswal, allowing Rahul to bat at his usual No.6 spot. Abhimanyu, who landed in Australia on the back of spectacular form in domestic cricket in India, having scored four centuries in as many red-ball games, failed to impress on Australian soil as he fetched scores of 0, 17, 7 and 12 against Australia A.
Apart from Abhimanyu and Rahul, India will have another top-order candidate in Devdutt Padikkal, who was part of India A’s shadow tour of Australia and has been asked to stay back with the Test squad. Padikkal has played one Test for India, against England in Dharamsala earlier this year.
The stakes are high for Gambhir and members of his support staff Morne Morkel, Abhishek Nayar and Ryan ten Doeschate, as the Test series against Australia follows an unprecedented 3-0 defeat to New Zealand, India’s first ever whitewash in a home series of three or more Tests.
The series is also crucial for India’s third appearance in the World Test Championship final at the Lord’s next June, after Rohit Sharma & Co slipped to the second spot following the humiliation against the BlackCaps. The Indian team will need to win four of the five Tests to stay in the race for the WTC Final.
As such in the absence of two of their batting mainstays in Rohit and Shubman, the Indian team management will look to bolster their batting depth by playing one of their two seam-bowling all rounders at No. 8. Both Nitish Kumar Reddy, a batting allrounder from Andhra, and Harshit Rana, a bowling allrounder for Delhi, are yet to make their Test debuts.
After a week of training at the WACA, India will shift to the main venue in Optus Stadium to gear up their preparations for the opening Test.