Gautam Gambhir hits out Ricky Ponting over Virat Kohli criticism

India head coach Gautam Gambhir has confirmed that pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah will lead the national men's cricket team if regular skipper Rohit Sharma is unavailable for the first Test of the highly anticipated Border-Gavaskar Trophy series against Australia. The opening match is scheduled to begin on November 22 in Perth.

"Bumrah is vice-captain; if Rohit is not available, he is going to lead in Perth," Gambhir stated during a pre-departure press conference in Mumbai. Rohit Sharma, while not currently with the squad, has not been officially ruled out of the series opener, according to Gambhir. "At the moment, there is no confirmation but we will let you know exactly what the situation will be. Hopefully he's going to be available, but everything we're going to get to know at the start of the series," Gambhir said at a press-conference before the team's departure to Australia.

India's squad is departing for Australia in two separate batches, with the first group having left on November 10 and the second set to depart today. Gambhir has acknowledged the importance of contingency planning in case Rohit is unavailable, mentioning that both Abhimanyu Easwaran and KL Rahul are in the squad and ready to step up as opening options.