Indian captain Rohit Sharma did not come out on the field on day 3 of the 5th Test after India’s batting in the first innings came to an end. The Men in Blue were bowled out for 479 and added only four runs to their overnight total of 475. 

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed Rohit’s absence from the field. “UPDATE: Captain Rohit Sharma has not taken the field on Day 3 due to a stiff back,” BCCI wrote in a statement on social media. Notably, in Rohit’s absence, the team’s vice captain Jasprit Bumrah is leading the Indian team on the field. 

Rohit Sharma scored a brilliant century in the first innings, his second overall in the series. He made 103 off 162 balls before Ben Stokes got the Indian skipper on his first ball since the Ashes 2023. Rohit and Shubman Gill partnered for 171 runs for the second wicket. 

India’s Playing XI:

Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Devdutt Padikkal, Ravindra Jadeja, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah

England’s Playing XI:

Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Ben Stokes (c), Jonny Bairstow, Ben Foakes (wk), Tom Hartley, Shoaib Bashir, Mark Wood, James Anderson

More to follow…