Rohit Sharma's spot in Playing XI uncertain as Gambhir holds back on SCG line-up

Gautam Gambhir, Rohit Sharma at a practice session (Pic: AFP)

India's head coach, Gautam Gambhir, refrained from confirming whether captain Rohit Sharma would feature in the upcoming Sydney Test against Australia when directly asked about his inclusion.

Rohit was seen during warm-ups, practicing his drives in the nets and engaging in a lighthearted football kick-around with his teammates. However, when questioned about his availability for the match, Gambhir mentioned that the team has yet to finalize the playing XI and will make the decision the following day after evaluating the pitch conditions.

Throughout the series against Australia, India has made several unexpected selection choices. In Perth, they opted to field Washington Sundar as the sole spinner, only to replace him with Ravichandran Ashwin in the subsequent match and later Ravindra Jadeja in Brisbane. Fast bowler Harshit Rana made his debut in Perth but was sidelined after struggling in the Adelaide Pink Ball Test.

The experimentation continued in Melbourne, where India chose to play three all-rounders - Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, and Washington Sundar - while Shubman Gill was dropped. Under pressure, captain Rohit took the decision to open the innings himself, pushing KL Rahul down to the No. 3 position.

More updates to follow...