Skipper Rohit Sharma faces selection headaches before start of first Test against Australia

Indian captain Rohit Sharma is in a catch-22 situation amid the selection of the final eleven ahead of the first Test against Australia in the much awaited Border-Gavaskar Trophy. All the players are fully fit and in tremendous touch, pushing to get a place and do well. The first Test between the world’s top two […]

by Wasimul Haque - February 8, 2023, 2:50 pm

Indian captain Rohit Sharma is in a catch-22 situation amid the selection of the final eleven ahead of the first Test against Australia in the much awaited Border-Gavaskar Trophy. All the players are fully fit and in tremendous touch, pushing to get a place and do well.

The first Test between the world’s top two cricket nations is scheduled to get underway on February 9. The four-match series is much anticipated because its outcome will have an impact on other sides’ chances of qualifying for the ICC World Test Championship Final.

All players are in tremendous touch, so it is difficult to leave someone out of the final line-up. It is a healthy sign that players are doing well, so all options are open to being given a chance as per the pitch conditions. Rohit Sharma stated this in a pre-match press conference in Nagpur.

The discussion is abuzz about the batting position of inform batter Shubman Gill. The youngster has been in the best of his form, playing superb white-ball cricket recently and scoring an outstanding hundred against Bangladesh in the First Test in December.

Before the start of the series, some Australian experts accused India of preparing pitches that favoured its bowlers. Rohit Sharma reiterated that it is better to focus on cricket instead of the pitch. After all, the 22 guys who will take the field are quality players.  

“We have to play four important Test matches in the BGT, and we want to win the series. It is going to be challenging. Preparation is crucial. “If your preparation is up to the mark, results will automatically come,” Rohit added.

The Indian camp is expecting that Nagpur track will take the spin, so both sides could apply different strategies to take advantage in the match. India is the current holder of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after winning the series on Australian soil in 2020–21.