India will have its task cut out when it steps onto the field at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Friday for the fifth and final Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test.
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The side trails 2-1 in the series and needs to win the last Test to stay in contention to reach the World Test Championship final.
However, the build up to the match has been rife with speculation of an unrest in the Indian dressing room following the loss in Melbourne earlier this week.
Given his poor form in the series and India’s floundering results, Rohit Sharma has come under the scanner. On the eve of the Sydney Test, the captain did not attend the pre-match press conference and was the last to arrive at the net session.
When asked about his availability, coach Gautam Gambhir said the team will take a call based on the ground conditions before the start of play, raising speculation that he might not feature in the final game.
With Rohit not in the team, India could go back to the opening combination of Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul with Shubman Gill slotting in at number three. Jasprit Bumrah will lead the side in Rohit’s absence.
India will be forced to make another change with Akash Deep being ruled out due to a back injury. According to report, he will be replaced by either Prasidh Krishna or Harshit Rana.
Given the assistance to spinners at the SCG, India is likely to continue with Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar.
India Predicted XI for 5th Test
Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah (c), Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna.