Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir has flown back home from Australia due to a ‘personal emergency.’ However, Gambhir will re-join the team in Australia ahead of the pink-ball Test that starts on December 6.
“Yes, Gambhir has left for back home in India due to a personal emergency. It seems that someone in his family has a health issue. However, he will be back in Australia on December 3, three days before the second Test (pink ball) Test at Adelaide ,” a source in the BCCI told Times of India on Tuesday.
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The Indian team will travel to Canberra on Wednesday to play a two-day pink-ball tour game, which is scheduled to start from Saturday.
In Gambhir’s absence, the support staff of assistant coaches Abhishek Nayar, Ryan ten Doeschate, Morne Morkel (bowling coach) and T Dilip (fielding coach) will be in charge of the team.
It will help that Indian captain Rohit Sharma, who missed the first Test at Perth due to the birth of his child, reached Australia on Sunday.
Gambhir and rest of the Indian team are in Australia for the five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy. India took a 1-0 lead in the series following a comprehensive 295-run triumph in Perth on Monday.
On the sidelines, Rohit Sharma had a practice session in Perth on Monday.
“And just during the lunch break here at the nets, we’ve got captain of India Rohit Sharma, who’s just arrived in the country,” said former Australian opener and Fox commentator David Warner while commentating on the sidelines of Rohit’s nets session.
“He is looking nice and sharp against his fellow countrymen here in the nets. We’ve got a few of the Indian fast bowlers bowling towards the captain ahead of the pink ball Test match starting the 6th of December in Adelaide. As we just see there Mukesh Kumar sending down a nice delivery. But it’s great to see the captain here and we’re looking forward to seeing him back out on the park here on Australian soil,” Warner said on Fox Cricket.
