Rohit Sharma, his wife Ritika Sajdeh blessed with second child: Report

Media reports claimed that Team India captain Rohit Sharma and his wife Ritika Sajdeh welcomed their second child on 15 November 2024 (Friday). Rohit, who became a father for the first time in 2018 after her daughter Samaira was born, has still not announced anything officially, but media reports state that Ritika and him have been blessed with a baby boy. The news of Rohit and Ritika expecting their second child had been doing the rounds for a while.

India captain Rohit is also currently on a break from national duty as he stayed back in Mumbai while most of his teammates travelled to Australia on 9 and 10 November to prepare for the five-Test Border-Gavaskar Trophy which starts on 22 November in Perth.

Will Rohit Sharma leave for Australia now?

It will be interesting to see if Rohit now leaves for Australia to join the team before the first Test and if he plays in Perth. However, it will not be a surprise if Rohit decides to skip the first Test as his new baby will only be a few days old when the match gets underway at the Optus Stadium.

India head coach Gautam Gabhit was asked about Rohit’s participation in the first Test before he left for Australia but the former opener refused to give any clarity .

“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 Team India’s pre-departure press conference.

Rohit trains in Mumbai for Australia tour

Meanwhile, Rohit has been putting in the hard yards at the Reliance Corporate Park (RCP) in Ghansoli, Navi Mumbai, to prepare for the Australia challenge. Even if he misses the first Test, Rohit is expected to lead the team from the second match which only starts on 6 December at the Adelaide Oval.

Team India will hope Rohit joins them as soon as possible as they need to win four out of five Tests in Australia to qualify for the 2025 World Test Championship (WTC) final.

In Rohit’s absence, KL Rahul is expected to open the innings along with Yashasvi Jaiswal. Rahul also opened the innings for India vs India A in the intra-squad match simulation on Friday in Perth.