Bumrah to Captain India in First Test Against Australia

Jasprit Bumrah will lead the Indian cricket team in the first match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, starting November 22 at Perth’s Optus Stadium. Regular captain Rohit Sharma will miss the game as he remains in India for the birth of his second child.

Rohit is expected to rejoin the team before the second Test in Adelaide, which begins on December 6. He has already informed the BCCI and selectors about his unavailability for the Perth Test but plans to participate in the practice match starting November 30 ahead of the day-night Test in Adelaide.

India faces a challenging start to the series, missing two key players. Apart from Rohit, No. 3 batter Shubman Gill is also ruled out of the first Test due to a fractured finger. In Rohit’s absence, Yashasvi Jaiswal is likely to open alongside either KL Rahul or Abhimanyu Easwaran.

This will be Bumrah’s second time captaining the team in Test cricket. He previously led India in the fifth Test against England at Edgbaston in the 2021-22 series after Rohit was sidelined due to COVID-19.

The Border-Gavaskar Trophy consists of five Tests, making this series crucial for both teams. India will aim to overcome the early setbacks and perform strongly in Australia.