Gautam Gambhir takes Rohit Sharma's place in front of Australian PM; Test captaincy switch imminent: Report

All is certainly not well in the Indian dressing room. Head coach Gautam Gambhir may have tried to mask some of it in the pre-match conference before the fifth and final Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground starting Friday, but his answers, in many ways, not only indirectly confirmed the reports but also gave rise to new speculations. Despite repeated pestering from the Australian journalists in the press conference on Thursday, Gambhir refused to confirm captain Rohit Sharma's place in India's XI for the series finale. India's head coach Gautam Gambhir (L) and captain Rohit Sharma(AFP)

The feisty Gambhir was on full view when an Australian reporter threw a query on why Rohit had not showed up for the interaction as is the "tradition". Can you confirm the playing eleven?" he asked. The response was vague when it came to addressing the question on his final XI.

"Everything is fine with Rohit and I don't think there is anything traditional here. The head coach is here and that should be good enough," he said. "We will decide on the playing XI after looking at the pitch," he added.

When the same question was repeated, he was more terse. "The answer remains the same."

The pre-match press conference is not the only place where Gambhir stepped in for Rohit. According to a report in The Times, the Indian skipper also pulled out of the speech in front of the Australian Prime Minister despite being present at the event.

"A further sign that all may not be well with Rohit was his last-minute withdrawal from speaking at an official function with the Australian prime minister at a government building overlooking Sydney Harbour on New Year’s Day. Rohit was supposed to make an address but without any official explanation coach Gautam Gambhir made the speech although Rohit was in attendance," the report read.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese interacted with the cricket teams of India and Australia on Wednesday ahead of the decisive fifth Test and effusively praised pacer Jasprit Bumrah for his exploits in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Rohit's spot in danger?

So, what are the conversations that he has had with Rohit and Virat Kohli, whose dismissals outside the off-stump continue to hurt the team.

"There's only one conversation and that's how to win matches for India. We all know how important that is," he said.

However, Gambhir said that he doesn't appreciate dressing room debates get space in public discourse.

"Debates between coaches and players should be confined between them. This sport is known for results but conversations between individuals should stay inside dressing room," he asserted.

Rohit has been going through one of his worst phases as a batter. Last year he averaged only 24.52 in 19 innings, with only one century and one half-century, and has slid to 40th in the ICC Test batting rankings. Take out the England series in the early part of 2024 and Rohit's average slips further to 11.

India's poor performance in the longest format is also hurting his cause. In the six Tests under Rohit, India have lost five and drawn one. Three of those defeats came in an embarrassing first-ever 0-3 whitewash to New Zealand at home.

The only Test that India won during this time came under stand-in captain Jasprit Bumrah's leadership.

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