Gambhir: Rahul can open if Rohit misses first Test

November 11, 2024

Gautam Gambhir is hoping that Rohit Sharma will be available for the first Test against Australia in Perth, though he is happy with the options he has in case Rohit doesn’t make it.

Gambhir also confirmed that if Rohit were to miss out, Jasprit Bumrah, being the designated vice-captain, “obviously will [be the captain] if Rohit is not available”.

“At the moment, there is no confirmation but we will let you know exactly what the situation will be. Hopefully he’s going to be available, but everything we’re going to get to know at the start of the series,” Gambhir said at a press-conference in Mumbai before the squad’s flight to Australia.

A group of five players – Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Gill, Washington Sundar and Jaiswal – have already left for Australia, while the rest of the squad will leave later on Monday, but Gambhir didn’t confirm if Rohit will be on that plane or not.

As reported earlier, Rohit is a doubt for the first Test owing to personal reasons, but there is no confirmation one way or other yet.

Which raises the question of who will open alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal if Rohit isn’t there.

“Obviously there is [Abhimanyu] Easwaran and there is KL [Rahul] there. So we will take a call closer to the first Test match if Rohit is not available,” Gambhir said. “There are options there, it’s not that there are no options there. There are quite a few options in the squad.

“Once it gets closer to the first Test match, we’ll plan and play the best playing XI that’s going to do the job for us.”

Rahul and Abhimanyu opened for India A in the second four-day match against Australia A, but both returned low scores. Abhimanyu, who also played the first game of that series, had scores of 7, 12, 0 and 17 across the two games, while Rahul made 4 and 10 in the two innings in his only game.

Prior to the fresh developments, Rahul looked set for a role as a middle-order batter in Tests, but Rohit’s potential absence has put him back in contention at the top of the order.

“There are times when you go with the experienced players as well. And that is the quality of the man. That he can bat at the top of the order, he can bat at No. 3 and he can actually bat at No. 6 as well,” Gambhir said of Rahul. “You need quite a lot of talent to be doing these kinds of jobs as well. And he’s kept wickets in the one-day format as well.

“Imagine how many countries have players like KL who can open the batting and can bat at No. 6 as well? So I feel if need be, he can do the job for us, especially if Rohit is not available for the first Test match.”

Rahul has plenty of experience facing the new ball in overseas conditions and is one of two Asian openers – Saeed Anwar being the other – to have scored Test centuries in Australia, England and South Africa.

Shubman Gill is another option available in the squad – he made his Test debut as an opener during India’s last visit to Australia but has since moved to the upper-middle order.

“We will try and get the best combination possible who can do the job for us in Perth. And be it Shubman opening the batting or Easwaran or KL, it all depends on what we feel is the right combination,” Gambhir said.

The Perth Test will begin on November 22.