Sourav Ganguly's Shocking Revelation: 'I Advised Rohit Sharma Not to End His Career; Urges Him to Play in First Test'

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly believes that it is crucial for Rohit Sharma to be present in Australia for the opening Test in Perth, as the team greatly depends on his leadership. The current Indian captain is most likely going to be sidelined for the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, as he has expressed his desire to spend quality time with his family following the arrival of their second child, a baby boy, with his wife Ritika Sajdeh.

Rohit Sharma and Ritika Sajdeh had welcomed a baby boy on Friday and we earlier reported that Rohit has chosen not to travel to Australia for the 1st Test as he wants to spend time with his family and the new-born.

Ganguly says that if he was in the position of Rohit, he would have actually travelled to Australia for the Perth Test. He also reckons that the upcoming series will be the 37-year-old's last tour Down Under.

"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.

"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.

Ganguly also revealed that Rohit Sharma was not ready to become the Test captain when Virat Kohli decided to let go off the leadership role after the series against South Africa in January 2022.

The former India skipper said that he had to convince Rohit to take up the captaincy in the longest format, and that he is not surprised with what Rohit has achieved so far.

"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.

The upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy will prove to be the ultimate litmus test for both skipper Rohit and head coach Gautam Gambhir. Having lost the home series against New Zealand, India need to win 4-0 Down Under to progress to the World Test Championship (WTC) final, without depending on other results.

The Border-Gavaskar Trophy will begin on November 22 in Perth. The remaining four matches will be played in Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne and Perth.

The second Test in Adelaide will be played with a pink ball, under lights. Rohit Sharma is expected to be available for this Test match.