Legendary Sunil Gavaskar has said the vice-captain Jasprit Bumrah should be backed as the skipper for the whole Australia Test series by the Ajit Agarkar-led selection panel if Rohit Sharma is unavailable. It has been reported that Rohit Sharma is set to miss the opening Test match at Perth due to personal reasons and he could also miss the second Test at Adelaide.
Gavaskar reckons it will be guile to have one captain for the complete series and Rohit should be picked for the remaining Test matches as a player.
Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma’s captaincy has come under the scanner after India suffered a 3-0 Test series loss against New Zealand.
Gavaskar said on Sports Tak, “It is important for the captain to play the first Test. If he gets injured then it is a different matter. In such a situation, if your leader is not available in the first match, then appointing a deputy leader, the pressure that builds on him is a different kind of pressure. It will not be easy for him to take the responsibility of captaincy again.”
He continued, “We have been reading that Rohit Sharma will not play in the first Test, perhaps he will not play in the second as well.”
“If this is the case then I say that right now the Indian selection committee should say that you have to rest, rest, if there are personal reasons then look at them. But if you are missing two-thirds of the matches then you should go for this tour only as a player. We will make the vice-captain the captain of this tour.
“Because there should be clarity. It is the responsibility of the captain because when we lost 3-0 here, it is important to have a captain. Absolutely necessary,” he continued.
The former Indian captain added it is imperative for the captain to get the team together after their ignominious series loss against the Kiwis.
“Indian cricket is the most important. I would say that if we had won the New Zealand series 3-0, it would have been a different matter. Because we have lost this series 3-0, there is a need for a captain. The captain has to unite the team. If there is no captain in the beginning, it is better to make someone else the captain” Gavaskar added.
Speaking on his availability for the first Test match against Australia, Rohit recently said, “Right now, I am not too sure whether I’ll be going, but let’s see. Fingers crossed.”
The opening Test match between India and Australia will be played at Perth from November 22 onwards.
