Two days after the second batch of Indian players and support staff members boarded the flight to Australia, skipper Rohit was seen sweating it out in the nets at the Reliance Corporate Park (RCP) in Ghansoli,

Test series defeat against New Zealand has not only set the cat amongst the pigeons, but has also sent the World Test Championships permutations haywire.India now need to win 4 Tests in Australia to directly qualify for the WTC final that is scheduled to be held at Lord's in June 2025.

Rohit's likely absence from the first Test is because his wife Ritika Sajdeh is expecting their second child in the third week of November. A source was quoted by India Today saying, "Rohit Sharma won't travel with the team to Australia. There were suggestions he might travel but now he isn't. His wife's delivery is expected next week."

Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir was hopeful about captain Rohit Sharma's availability for the 1st Test vs Australia

India must start planning for Rohit Sharma's successor if the team do not play well in their five-test series in Australia as the captain could well retire from the longest format, former skipper Krishnamachari Srikkanth has said.