Rohit Sharma's sacrifice for wife and baby highlights sad dilemma for professional athletes
The India skipper will miss the first Test against Australia after putting family before country.
Family or country first? It's a dilemma professional sportsmen and women encounter on a regular basis. Former India cricket captain Sourav Ganguly has weighed into the debate, questioning skipper Rohit Sharma's decision to bypass the first Test against Australia following the birth of his second child.
Sharma and wife Ritika Sajdeh welcomed a son to their family on Friday, giving the India skipper less than a week to get to Perth for opening hostilities in the much-anticipated Border-Gavaskar five-Test series. He decided against making the trip.
"We were hoping that he (Rohit) will travel but he has informed the BCCI (Board of Control Cricket India) that he can't go now as he needs some more time," a BCCI official stated. "He will be flying to Australia for the pink-ball Test match, the second match, in Adelaide. There is a nine-day gap between the first and second Test matches, so Rohit will be able to be there on time."
Coming off the back of a shock 3-0 home series loss to New Zealand – coupled with an injury to top order bat Shubman Gill and concerns over Virat Kohli's declining form – Sharma's absence will be keenly felt. Paceman Jasprit Bumrah will take over the captaincy until his skipper arrives in Australia next week.
Former India captains critical of Rohit Sharma missing first Test
Speaking the day after Sharma's wife gave birth, the forthright Ganguly expressed his concerns over the captain's decision to delay his departure. Ganguly claimed the captain should be in Australia given his importance to the Indian cause.
"I hope Rohit Sharma goes very soon, because the team needs leadership," he told India's RevSportz. "I believe his wife has delivered a baby boy (last night) so I am sure he can leave. He can leave as early as possible and if I was in his position, he should be playing the Perth Test.
"The match is a week away. Because it is a big series, he will not go to Australia after this, he is a fantastic captain. India needs his leadership to start with." Another former Indian Test captain – the great Sunil Gavaskar – was also critical of Sharma's move.
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He said earlier this month: "It is important for the captain to play the first Test match. It’s different if he is injured, but if he is not available, then the deputy leader will be under a lot of pressure. For the first Test match, Rohit Sharma has to be there." The Perth Test gets underway on Friday.
