Rohit Sharma to miss series decider as India confirm XI in Sydney
India have opted to make changes to their playing XI following a heavy 184-run defeat in Melbourne.
Shubman Gill, who missed out on the Boxing Day Test, returns to the playing XI for the final Test against Australia. His inclusion comes at the expense of captain Rohit Sharma, who has had a disappointing tour, managing just 31 runs across three matches.
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In Sharma’s absence, Jasprit Bumrah will step in as captain for the Sydney Test. Bumrah had previously led India to a win in the opening Test in Perth.
At the toss, Bumrah stated that Sharma "opted" to rest for the match.
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Among the many baffled by the decision to drop Gill for the Melbourne Test was former head coach Ravi Shastri, who expressed his surprise at the move and questioned the rationale behind the decision in the latest ICC Review.
India have also been forced to make a change with Akash Deep sidelined due to a stiff back. Despite picking up only five wickets in two games, Akash impressed with his ability to trouble the Australian batters throughout the series.
Gautam Gambhir confirmed Akash Deep's injury during the pre-match press conference but refrained from disclosing his replacement at the time. However, at the toss, captain Bumrah revealed that Prasidh Krishna had been included in the playing XI.
Krishna made his debut around this time last year against South Africa. On that tour, he played in both the Boxing Day and New Year’s Tests, managing only two wickets across the two matches.
India XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna.
Australia, meanwhile, announced their playing XI a day before the match. The hosts made a single change to the side that triumphed in Melbourne, handing a debut to Beau Webster in place of the struggling Mitchell Marsh.
There were concerns over Mitchell Starc’s fitness after he experienced sore ribs in Melbourne, but the pacer was declared fit to play in the series decider.
Australia XI: Sam Konstas, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Beau Webster, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins, Mitch Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland.