Rohit’s wife, Ritika Sajdeh, gave birth to their second child, a baby boy, at a local hospital on Friday night.
The Indian captain had stayed back in India, missing the team’s flight to Australia, as Ritika was expecting. The couple already has a daughter, Samaira, born in 2018.
With less than a week remaining until the first Test, it remains uncertain whether Rohit will be ready to play. Even if he decides to travel to Australia immediately, he may not have enough time for practice sessions. However, nothing has been ruled out at this stage.
There were initial concerns about Rohit’s availability for the opening match, though head coach Gautam Gambhir expressed optimism that the captain could be ready.
India’s top order is currently in need of reinforcement, with Rohit’s presence being crucial. While he hasn’t been in the best form recently, his experience and leadership would still be a stronger option compared to Abhimanyu Easwaran, who has struggled with bounce and seam movement. Additionally, KL Rahul has been dealing with an elbow injury, though it is not considered serious.
Both Easwaran and Rahul have not done enough to secure their spots as Yashasvi Jaiswal’s partner for the opening slot.
Suryakumar Yadav, India’s T20I captain, congratulated Rohit on the birth of his son. After India’s T20I series win against South Africa in Johannesburg on Friday, Yadav said, “Many, many congratulations to him and his family. It’s the best news on a perfect day.”
Yadav also mentioned the impressive performance of Tilak Varma, a Mumbai Indians teammate of Rohit, who scored 120 not out off 47 balls. “I wish Rohit all the best for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy as well,” Yadav added.
Rohit Sharma is also the captain of the Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League.
