'If I was in his position...': Sourav Ganguly explains why Rohit Sharma should join team before Perth Test

Sourav Ganguly urges Rohit Sharma to join team in Australia. (Photo: PTI)

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly believes that Rohit Sharma should travel to Australia for the opening Test in Perth, as the team will need his leadership. Rohit is expected to miss the first Test of the five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy, having decided to stay back with his family after the recent birth of his second child, a baby boy, with his wife, Ritika Sajdeh.

While it has been reported that Rohit plans to skip the first Test to spend time with his family, Ganguly feels that if he were in Rohit's shoes, he would have prioritized leading the team in Australia. The former captain also speculated that this might be Rohit's final tour to Australia, given that he is 37 years old.

"I hope Rohit Sharma goes very soon, because the team needs leadership. I believe his wife has delivered a baby boy yesterday 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," Ganguly told RevSportz.

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"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," the former India captain added.

The former India captain mentioned that he had to persuade Rohit Sharma to take on the role of captain in Test cricket and added that he is not surprised by the success Rohit has achieved since then.

"He wasn't because he was captaining the other formats. So, it was a lot of workload. I don't believe in workload. Test captain of India is going to be Test captain. I told him that don't finish your career not being Test captain, I am not surprised to see what he has achieved," said Ganguly.