Melbourne effect: First time, captain to sit out, Bumrah steps into Rohit’s shoes

It’s rare for the inclusion of a team captain being subject to the nature of the pitch.

Later, Rohit had a light net session, facing a few casual throwdowns. There was no official announcement, but by evening the word was out — Rohit, who has been struggling for runs, had “opted to rest” while vice-captain Jasprit Bumrah would lead the side.

The team seemed to take the change at the top in its stride. After the press conference, Rohit, Bumrah and Gambhir were seen sitting in the bucket-seats outside their dressing room — chatting, back-slapping and laughing.

After this short meeting, Rohit walked towards the team bus, to be greeted by a roar from a small crowd lined up outside. “Rohit, Rohit,” they chanted, and the “rested” captain gave a big smile as he sauntered into the bus.

India’s captain Rohit Sharma walks off the field after losing his wicket during play on the last day of the fourth cricket test between Australia and India at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne, Australia, Monday, Dec. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)

It was an unusual day. The pre-match press conference, slated to start at 1.10 pm, began nearly half-an-hour late; word came out that the team was in a meeting. Gambhir and Bumrah could be seen engrossed in a long chat before Rohit joined them.

Gambhir then walked the corridor to the ‘press-room’ to address the media contingent. Very early in the interaction, an Australian journalist asked about the captain’s absence at the traditional pre-game press conference: “Is everything alright with Rohit?”.

Gambhir stiffened up. “Everything is fine with Rohit and I don’t think it’s (the captain’s presence at the press conference) anything traditional. The head coach is here and that should be fine,” he responded.

But, he slowly began to relax a bit, and even smiled. Asked how he was handling the difficult period of transition in the team, he said: “It’s the role of not only the support staff but you people (the media) as well. How can you, probably, not only criticise them but try and help them out as well? Transition is not only for us. Transition happens for the entire country and all of us are in it together.”

As ever with Gambhir, there were some frank statements. He talked about how the Indian team has “lacked fight” at times in this series. “We’ve got to keep fighting and that’s why we love… every one of us loves watching, playing and being a part of Test cricket. I know we have got to fight it out. And that’s probably one area where we’ve lacked in this series,” he said.

India’s Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant, Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli wait for play to start on day three of the third Test between India and Australia at the Gabba in Brisbane, Australia. (AP Photo)

Asked whether he had given a stern talk to the players in the dressing room, as reported by The Indian Express on Wednesday, Gambhir first said these were “just reports”, but went on to add that he had an “honest” conversation with the team.

“Those are just reports. That’s not the truth. And I don’t think I need to answer (on) any reports, to be honest,” he stated. Going on to admit that he had an “honest” communication with the players, he said: “And there were some honest words, that’s all I can say. And honesty is very important. Honesty is extremely important if you want to probably go on and achieve some great things.”

In particular, Gambhir addressed the need for players to strike a balance between playing their “natural game” and adjusting to the match situation. “It’s a team sport and you’ve got to play what the team needs you to do. That’s as simple as it can get. People can play their natural game, but still, in a team sport, individuals only contribute. It’s the team. If you need to play in a certain way, I think you’ve got to do it.”

On the field later, the Indian team seemed to be preparing for life without Rohit. The first point of interest was the slip cordon, the position where Rohit usually places himself at the start of the game. The cordon had a new face: all-rounder Nitish Reddy.

A short while later, Gambhir went down to the arena, fist-bumped Shubman Gill and patted him on his back. Gill then found Bumrah approaching him — a shake of hands ensued before Bumrah patted him on the arm. It did seem like the moment Gill was possibly told that he would play, replacing Rohit in the top order.

At the batting nets, stand-in wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel batted in the first lot, a scene that hadn’t possibly played out in the series before. Virat Kohli and the rest joined him, before Rohit finally emerged from the dressing room and took his position at the far end of the nets, standing and chatting with the video analyst. Bumrah joined him shortly and both had a laugh.

Kohli, meanwhile, finished batting at the outdoor nets, went back in and emerged on the other side of the dressing room, overlooking the playing arena. He sat alone for 10-15 minutes, gazing into the distance. On the big screen, a promo of the India-Australia Test series was playing.

An aeroplane flew above, and Rohit looked up at the sky. A short while later, he left the nets, but emerged again with pads and took some throwdowns. He didn’t face any bowlers, and at one point, a yorker jammed into the bottom of his bat, leaving him screaming, “Mera bat, yaar!”. The scene was replayed on the next ball he faced. This was another hint that Rohit would do what no other Indian captain has done — rest for a Test.