Jasprit Bumrah Praises Rohit Sharma’s Leadership for Opting to Rest in Sydney Test

Bumrah highlights team unity and selflessness as India faces Australia in the crucial fifth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Sydney [Australia], January 3: India’s stand-in captain Jasprit Bumrah has praised Rohit Sharma’s decision to rest for the fifth and final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024 against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG).

Speaking at the toss, Bumrah emphasized that Rohit’s choice reflects strong leadership and team unity, underscoring a selfless approach for the greater good of the team.

“Our captain has shown leadership by opting to rest in this game. That shows there’s a lot of unity in this team. There’s no selfishness. Whatever is in the team’s best interest, we are looking to do that,” Bumrah said, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

Bumrah also highlighted the importance of overcoming challenges on the SCG pitch, stating that while the surface has some grass and poses a challenge with the new ball, it should offer good batting conditions once settled.

“We’ve played some really good cricket in this series. The last match was pretty exciting. Hopefully, we can put up a good show. The pitch seems to have some grass, but it doesn’t look too spicy. If you get through the new ball, it’s always a good batting track,” Bumrah added.

Rohit Sharma’s Form Under Scrutiny

Rohit Sharma’s struggles with the bat have been a talking point throughout the series. The opener managed just 31 runs in five innings at an average of 6.20 in the ongoing series. His form has been under scrutiny since the Bangladesh series, where he scored 42 runs in two Tests at an average of 10.50.

Key Changes for the Final Test

India made two changes for the fifth Test:

• Rohit Sharma rested.
• Prasidh Krishna replaces Akash Deep, who is injured.

Team Line-ups for the Sydney Test

Australia (Playing XI): Sam Konstas, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Beau Webster, Alex Carey (WK), Pat Cummins (C), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland.
India (Playing XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (WK), Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah (C), Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj.

High Stakes in the Series Finale

With Australia leading the series 2-1, India must secure a victory in the Sydney Test to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and keep their World Test Championship Final hopes alive.