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India head coach Gautam Gambhir has confirmed that pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah will lead the national men's cricket team if regular skipper Rohit Sharma is unavailable for the first Test of the highly anticipated Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia.
The opening match is scheduled to begin on November 22 in Perth. "Bumrah is vice-captain; if Rohit is not available, he is going to lead in Perth," Gambhir stated during a pre-departure press conference in Mumbai on Monday. While Rohit Sharma is not currently with the squad, he has not been officially ruled out of the series opener. Gambhir provided an update on Rohit's status, saying, "At the moment, there is no confirmation but we will let you know exactly what the situation will be. Hopefully, he's going to be available, but everything we're going to get to know at the start of the series." Gambhir's announcement highlights the team's contingency plans as they prepare to face Australia, with Bumrah ready to step into the leadership role if needed. Following India's shambolic fall against New Zealand on home turf, the road to the WTC final has become a tricky affair. With a 3-0 series whitewash, India needs to win the series by 4-0 to punch their ticket to feature in London for the WTC final for the third successive time. After the conclusion series opener in Perth, the second Test, featuring the day-night format, will take place under lights at Adelaide Oval from December 6 to 10. Fans will then turn their attention to The Gabba in Brisbane for the third Test from December 14 to 18. The traditional Boxing Day Test, scheduled from December 26 to 30 at Melbourne's iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground, will mark the series' penultimate stage. The fifth and final Test will be held at the Sydney Cricket Ground from January 3 to 7, promising an exciting climax to a highly anticipated series. India's squad for Border-Gavaskar Series: Rohit Sharma (c), Jasprit Bumrah (vc), Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammad Shami, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill, Ravindra Jadeja, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Sarfaraz Khan, Virat Kohli, Prasidh Krishna, Rishabh Pant (wk), KL Rahul, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Mohammed Siraj, Washington Sundar. Australia squad for the first Test: Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitch Marsh, Nathan McSweeney, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc. (ANI)
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