Rohit Sharma To Be "Rested" For Sydney Test, Jasprit Bumrah To Lead Team India: Report.

Big changes are coming to Team India for the final Test match against Australia in Sydney, beginning on January 3, Friday. According to an Indian Express report, Rohit Sharma will not play in the match and Jasprit Bumrah will take over as captain.

🚨 ROHIT SHARMA SET TO BE RESTED FROM 5TH TEST 🚨

– Rohit Sharma is set to be rested from the 5th Test Match against Australia at SCG. (Devendra Pandey/Express Sports). pic.twitter.com/zVL6li0xKY

— Tanuj Singh (@ImTanujSingh) January 2, 2025

Shubman Gill is likely to join the team and KL Rahul will open the innings. Prasidh Krishna may also get his first match on the tour, replacing injured Akash Deep.

During a recent training session, coach Gautam Gambhir was seen talking to Bumrah, while Rohit Sharma was missing from some practice sessions. This suggests that Rohit may not play in the next match.

Also, read| Jasprit Bumrah Scripts History, Becomes 2nd Fastest Indian To Achieve 200 Test Wickets

Gambhir didn’t answer questions about Rohit’s place in the team, saying they would decide after looking at the conditions in Sydney.

Following the “Rested”  or ‘opts out’ of the SCG test, former cricketer Irfan Pathan expressed his concerns about this decision. “In my personal opinion, Rohit Sharma should fight out this phase. I don’t want him to walk out of this. He has done enough for Indian cricket, and I am sure he can turn this around. This is the last and crucial test match of the series, and experience should come in handy. Whatever decisions required to be made should come out after the series,” he said. 

In my personal opinion, Rohit Sharma should fight out this phase. I don’t want him to walk out of this. He has done enough for Indian cricket, and I am sure he can turn this around. This is the last and crucial test match of the series, and experience should come…

— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) January 2, 2025

To qualify for the World Test Championship finals, India needs to win the Sydney Test. Australia, on the other hand, has two more games to try and seal a spot in the finals. The final match is expected to be intense.

Also, read| India Beats Australia By 295 Runs, Takes 1-0 Lead In Border Gavasker Series

Meanwhile, Jasprit Bumrah has etched his name in the record books by becoming the fastest Indian pacer to reach the milestone of 200 Test Wickets.

Bumrah achieved this milestone during the fourth Test against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. He dismissed Travis Head for his 200th victim, joining an elite group of bowlers who have achieved this feat.