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SYDNEY :India brushed off the absence of captain Jasprit Bumrah to dismiss Australia for 181 and reach 141 for six for an overall lead of 145 on an extraordinary second day of the finely-balanced fifth test on Saturday.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has informed Rohit Sharma that he is no longer a part of their plans for Test cricket after the ongoing series against Australia, according to a report by the Indian Express. India have a tough road ahead when it comes to qualifying for the World Test Championship (WTC) Final and the report claims that if India manage to reach the summit clash, they will be captained by Jasprit Bumrah. The report further claimed that the BCCI selectors will have a meeting with Virat Kohli to discuss his future in Test cricket. However, it is believed that all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja remain in the scheme of things for the future as his presence is valued by BCCI in the transition period.
The hunt for Rohit Sharma's successor as Test captain seems to be in full swing despite the fact that he hasn't yet cleared the intent around the future. Though it was pace bowling icon Jasprit Bumrah who led the team in Rohit's absence in Perth, it has been reported that multiple players in the Indian dressing room were keen on the leadership role. It looks highly likely that Rohit's Test career will come to its inevitable end after the conclusion of the Australia tour if India don't qualify for the World Test Championship final. But, it seems like Bumrah isn't the only one in the race to fill the captain's spot in the longest format.
A new problem for India that has risen during the fourth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy has been the running between the wickets. On Day 2, mix-up and miscommunication between Virat Kohli and Yashasvi Jaiswal saw the latter get run out. On Day 3, disaster almost struck twice after a mix-up between Ravindra Jadeja and Rishabh Pant resulted in Jadeja almost getting run out in similar fashion to Jaiswal. The incident led to Pant giving an unhappy reaction, and asking Jadeja for more clarity.
The fourth Test turned out to be the first game in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy in which the Indian cricket team decided to enter with two spinners. While Ravindra Jadeja was already a part of India's playing XI from the third game in Brisbane, it was Washington Sundar, who was roped in as a second spinner in the playing XI. India played the first three games of the series with lone spinners in R Ashwin, Sundar and Jadeja, respectively. There was change of plans for the visitors during the fourth game at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and it was Shubman Gill who got dropped from the playing XI.
Just days after Ravichandran Ashwin's abrupt retirement from Test cricket, Team India have entered the fourth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Melbourne with two spinners in the playing XI. Both Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar featured in India's lineup, with the latter coming in place of Shubman Gill. The change has prompted former India coach Ravi Shastri to comment that had Ashwin known about India's strategy to play two spinners, he may not have announced his retirement after the third Test.
Former Australian cricket team skipper Michael Clarke namedropped MS Dhoni while giving his verdict over the controversy around Ravindra Jadeja's interview ahead of the Boxing Day Test match. During the first media interaction ahead of the encounter, Jadeja answered questions only in Hindi - a move that left the Australian journalists fuming. Akash Deep followed suit and it further worsened the situation with the local media. Even Virat Kohli got into a verbal spat with Australian reporters at the Melbourne Aiport.
Indian pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah and all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja are all set to continue their milestone hunt during the fourth Test against Australia at Melbourne starting from Thursday onwards, with the bowler chasing 200 Test scalps and the veteran all-rounder also near the 600 wicket mark in international cricket. With the series level at 1-1, both sides will be playing the much-anticipated Boxing Day Test intending to secure an all-important series lead needed to push a case for the ICC World Test Championship final.