Rohit vs Gambhir: Here's how two openers performed in Aussies conditions
As an opener, Gambhir's performance has not been as encouraging as he scored at an average of 27.5, but Rohit's is even worse.
 "Rohit vs Gambhir: Here's how two openers performed in Aussies conditions")
With Rohit Sharma opting himself out for India's Playing 11 for the 5th Test against Australia, stand-in captain Bumrah said that there is no selfishness in the team during India vs Australia 5th Test at Sydney Cricket Ground on Friday. But one can't shy away from the fact that it was head coach Gautam Gambhir who made a call over the selection of the team after India lost the Melbourne Test match, thus putting team's chance for a place in ICC World Test Championship (WTC) in a very precarious situation. Check India vs Australia 5th Test Day 1 LIVE SCORE, MATCH UPDATES AND FULL SCORECARD HERE Even in the Sydney's famous dressing room balcony, the players appeared nervous as camera panned at them in the first session of the Sydney Test. Though India were reduced to 17-2 on a green Sydney wicket within half an hour after Bumrah opted to bat first, the problem of solid opening stand was not achieved despite Rohit made a sacrifise. As India lost three wickets in the first session on Day 1, KL Rahul and Shubman Gill just thrown their wickets away. What will be the future of 38-year-old Rohit in Test cricket? only selectors can make a call given India's next Test series would begin not before June 2025. But we can analyse how Gautam Gambhir himself fared as an opener in the Test, this would not give a clear picture as how difficult it is to score Down Under while facing the new cherry.
Gautam Gambhir in Australia As an opener, Gambhir's performance has not been as encouraging as he scored at an average of 27.5.
| Gautam Gambhir Test runs in Australia | ||||||||||||
| Year | Innings | Runs | Balls | Outs | Avg | SR | HS | 50 | 100 | 4s | 6s | Dot % |
| 2011 | 2 | 16 | 69 | 2 | 8 | 23.2 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 84.1 |
| 2012 | 6 | 165 | 376 | 6 | 27.5 | 43.9 | 83 | 1 | 0 | 21 | 0 | 81.4 |
In the 2011 series, Gambhir faced 69 balls across two innings but could only manage 16 runs, struggling to cope with the pressure, and was dismissed twice. His strike rate was a modest 23.2, a clear reflection of how tough it was for him to adjust to the Australian conditions.
Gautam Gambhir against Australia in red ball cricket | Gautam Gambhir Test runs against Australia | ||||||||||
| Overall figures | Span | Matches | Inns | NO | Runs | HS | Ave | 100 | 50 | 0 |
| Gautam Gambhir | 2004-2012 | 9 | 18 | 0 | 673 | 206 | 37.38 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Rohit Sharma stats as an opener in Australia | |||||||
| Bat1 | Bat2 | Runs | Wkts | Conc | Ct | St | Ground |
| 26 | 52 | 78 | - | - | 0 | 0 | Sydney |
| 44 | 7 | 51 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | Brisbane |
| 3 | 6 | 9 | - | - | 1 | 0 | Adelaide |
| 10 | DNB | 10 | - | - | 1 | 0 | Brisbane |
| 3 | 9 | 12 | - | - | 1 | 0 | Melbourne |