India is all set to be captained by Jasprit Bumrah in the fifth and final Test against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground starting Friday after skipper Rohit Sharma decided to give himself a rest. According to a report in The Indian Express, Rohit, 37, has spoken to head coach Gautam Gambhir and the chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar, informing them about his decision to 'opt out', which was met with a cordial response.

Earlier, reports had emerged that Rohit Sharma may announce his retirement from Test cricket after the New Year’s Test and Virat Kohli may comeback as the captain for the Indian team. However, Jasprit Bumrah has displayed exceptional leading skills which was showcased during the first Test in Perth. The Indian team thumped Australia by 295 runs which really was a brilliant victory for the visitors to start off the series.

A day after the news of unrest in the Indian dressing room emerged, Rohit briefly appeared during India's practice session on the eve of the final match of the 2024/25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Shortly after, Gambhir dismissed those reports during the pre-match press conference but kept mum on whether Rohit would play tomorrow. "Everything is fine with Rohit and I don't think it's anything traditional. The head coach is here and that should be good enough. We are going to have a look at the wicket and finalise it tomorrow," he said.

Rohit's 'rest' also paves the way for the return of Shubman Gill at No. 3. The India youngster, who, with scores of 28 and 31 in Adelaide, didn't do much wrong to get dropped, unfortunately, had to be left out due to 'combination'. Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul, who put on a record 201-run partnership at the Optus Stadium in the series opener, will open the innings.