Rohit Sharma blessed with baby boy: Will Indian skipper join team for Perth Test in Border-Gavaskar Trophy?

By Sunita Iyer | First Published Nov 16, 2024, 1:05 PM IST

India's cricket captain Rohit Sharma has been blessed with a baby boy, just days before the highly anticipated Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia.

India's cricket captain Rohit Sharma has been blessed with a baby boy, just days before the highly anticipated Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia. Rohit’s wife, Ritika Sajdeh, gave birth to their second child on Friday night at a local hospital in Mumbai, bringing immense joy to the couple, who already have a daughter, Samaira, born in 2018.

The birth of the couple's son has led to questions about Rohit's availability for the first Test of the series, which is scheduled to begin on November 22 in Perth. Rohit had opted out of traveling to Australia with the rest of the Indian squad as Ritika was expecting their baby, but with the arrival of their son, the possibility remains that he could join the team in time for the match.

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Despite the tight timeline, with less than a week left for the Test, the final decision on whether Rohit will travel and play remains uncertain. It’s unclear whether he will have sufficient time to acclimatize after just a couple of practice sessions.

However, India’s head coach, Gautam Gambhir, earlier expressed hope that Rohit might be available for selection, recognizing the importance of the captain in the highly anticipated clash.

The Indian team’s batting lineup has been under scrutiny, with the top order looking fragile. Rohit, despite not being in his best form recently, is considered a better option than Abhimanyu Easwaran, who has struggled with the bounce and seam movement on overseas pitches. Additionally, KL Rahul, who was expected to partner Yashasvi Jaiswal at the top, is nursing an elbow injury, although it is not deemed serious.

With less than a week before the Perth Test, India will be eagerly awaiting confirmation of Rohit's availability. If Rohit does make it to Australia in time, his leadership and experience would be a welcome boost for the team.

Meanwhile, Suryakumar Yadav, who led India in the T20I series against South Africa, congratulated Rohit on the arrival of his baby boy.

"Many, many congratulations to him and his family. It’s the best news on a perfect day. A guy from the family (Tilak Varma from Mumbai Indians) has also scored runs (120 not out off 47 balls). It’s a good thing. I wish him (Rohit) all the best for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy also," he said.

As the countdown to the Perth Test begins, all eyes will be on Rohit Sharma to see whether the new father will be able to make his mark in the highly competitive series against Australia.

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