Ritika Sajdeh, wife of Indian captain Rohit Sharma, has responded strongly to speculation surrounding her husband's potential absence from upcoming IND vs AUS Perth Test, the series opener for IND vs AUS Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Though no official confirmation was made, reports indicated that Rohit was considering missing the first two Tests to be with his family for birth of their second child.
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar suggested that if Rohit intends to sit out of first two matches for personal reasons, he should step down as captain for the entire IND vs AUS Border-Gavaskar Test series.
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The veteran recommended that vice-captain Jasprit Bumrah take on Team India's captaincy for the entire series if Rohit is unavailable. However, former Australian captain Aaron Finch disagreed, supporting Rohit's decision to take time off for 'such a beautiful moment'.
Ritika Sajdeh has shown her support for Aaron Finch's stance by posting a 'salute' emoji on an Instagram post. She tagged Finch and showcased his comments alongside Sunil Gavaskar's.
"We have been reading that Rohit Sharma will not play in the first Test, perhaps he will not play in the second as well. If this is the case, then I say that, right now, the Indian selection committee should say that 'if you have to rest, rest, if there are personal reasons then look at them. But if you are missing two-thirds of the matches then you should go for this tour only as a player. We will make the vice-captain the captain of this tour'," Gavaskar told Sports Tak.
"Indian cricket is the most important. I would say that if we had won the New Zealand series 3-0, it would have been a different matter. Because we have lost this series 3-0, there is a need for a captain. The captain has to unite the team. If there is no captain in the beginning, it is better to make someone else the captain," he added.
Aaron Finch's stance on 'Rohit Sharma situation'
"I disagree with Sunny on that totally. Rohit Sharma is the captain of the Indian cricket team. If you need to stay at home because your wife is having a baby... that's such a beautiful moment... and you take all the time that you need in that regard," Finch told ESPNcricinfo.