If Rohit is not available for Perth Test, Bumrah will lead India: Gambhir

With Rohit not sure of his availability for the first Test against Australia due to personal reasons, Bumrah was among the likely contenders to lead India in the marquee series opener. Gambhir, who remains unsure over captain Rohit's availability for the first Test against Australia, confirmed that vice-captain Bumrah will shoulder the captain's responsibility. "At the moment there's no confirmation. Hopefully, he will be available. We will take a call closer to the first Test if Rohit is not available. KL Rahul is there. Abhimanyu is there. We will try to field the best possible playing XI," Gambhir said on Rohit's participation in the Perth Test while addressing the pre-departure press conference. Bumrah had previously captained India in the rescheduled fifth Test against England at Edgbaston, Birmingham in 2022, when Covid-19 diagnosis ruled out Rohit from playing the match. "Jasprit Bumrah is the vice-captain; obviously, if Rohit Sharma is not available, he will be leading the side," Gambhir added when asked who will don the captain's hat in Rohit's absence. Gambhir further backed Rahul for doing his job at the top of the batting order and hailed his ability to perform at any position for the team. "You go with experienced players as well. I think that is the quality of a man that he can actually bat at the top of the order. You can bat at number three, and he can actually bat in sixth position as well. So you need quite a lot of talent to be doing these kinds of jobs as well, and he kept wickets in a one-day format as well. So imagine how many countries have players like KL Rahul who can actually open the batting and can bat at number six as well. So I feel that if needed to be, I think he can do the job for us, especially if Rohit is not available for the first Test match," Gambhir said. An initial group of Indian squad members - fast bowlers Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep, assistant coach Abhishek Nayar, all-rounder Washington Sundar, middle-order batter Sarfaraz Khan, and opening batter Yashasvi Jaiswal - departed for Australia on Sunday night for the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy from Mumbai. The first Test begins on November 22 in Perth. Adelaide hosts the second Test starting December 6, followed by Brisbane on December 14. The Boxing Day Test takes place in Melbourne on December 26, with the final fifth Test beginning on January 3, 2025, in Sydney. It will be the first time that India and Australia will be playing a five-match Test series. The upcoming series is crucial for India's World Test Championship Final hopes after a recent 3-0 series debacle to New Zealand, as India's points percentage currently stands at 58.33%, behind table-topper Australia in the standings. In order to strengthen their chances to qualify for the third successive WTC final, India must win at least four of the five Tests.