India may 'rest' underperforming Rohit Sharma for Sydney finale

Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah might captain India in the final Test match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The visitors play Australia in the final match at the Sydney Cricket Ground starting Friday.

Reports of a leadership change emerged after head coach Gautam Gambhir stepped in for the customary pre-match press conference. Normally, captains speak to the media ahead of the match.

Asked about Rohit, Gambhir said, "The head coach is here.. There is nothing wrong with Rohit," but did not spell out if there was a change in leadership, leading cricket site Cricinfo reported. "We're going to have a look at the wicket and finalise the XI tomorrow," Gambhir said, adding more suspicion that the Mumbai batter was in the drop zone.

Australia leads India 2-1 in the five-match series. For India, this is a must-win match to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and square the series. Australia need only a draw to win the bilateral title.
If Rohit is dropped, he will be replaced by stylish batter Shubman Gill, who missed the Melbourne Test to accommodate two batting allrounders.

Rohit has been struggling for form, averaging 10.93 in his last nine Tests and only 6.2 in this series. After the MCG loss, India has lost five Tests (three at home against New Zealand and two away against Australia) under his watch.