Will Rohit play in Sydney? Gambhir doesn't say yes

So the question was asked: Is Rohit okay?

“Everything is fine with Rohit,” Gambhir replied, but he did not confirm whether India’s captain would be part of the XI on Friday. “We’re going to have a look at the wicket and finalise it tomorrow.”

And that’s where it all kicked off.

Rohit has been struggling for form. He’s averaging 10.93 in his last nine Tests and only 6.2 in this series. He was late to India’s training on Thursday. Technically it was an optional session so it might not be right reading too much into it but everybody was there.

Shubman Gill, who was dropped for the MCG Test, was among the first set of batters in the SCG nets. Dhruv Jurel, who hasn’t played since the first Test in Perth, was among them too; it was one of the few times he has worked alongside the first-XI players. Jasprit Bumrah came out from the doors leading into the members pavilion and went straight to Gambhir for a little chat. Still there was no sign of Rohit.

One hour into India’s training session, Rohit arrived in his sweatshirt and shorts and went down to where the team analyst, Hari, was standing. Then Bumrah joined the two. This had happened in Melbourne as well. Rohit took his time to get to the outdoor nets and had a fairly long session facing only throwdowns. The only difference was in Melbourne he also attended the press conference.

At the SCG, he had a light, 40-minute hit facing the fielding coach T Dilip and Daya off the sidearm. The other front-line batters were already done with their stints by this time. Rohit was batting alongside Tanush Kotian and Abhimanyu Easwaran. There were moments that he looked good, a pull shot off the front foot for example, moments that he seemed to have fun, an apology for an awkward throw back down the pitch had him smiling from ear to ear, and moments where he batted like someone not in form, he left one that took out his off stump.

At the end of the Brisbane Test, Rohit admitted that while he wasn’t batting well, he was still ticking all the boxes that he needed to.

“As long as my mind, my body, my feet are moving well, I am pretty happy with how things are panning out for me,” Rohit had said two weeks ago. “Sometimes those numbers can tell you that it’s been a while since he has got big runs. But for a person like me, I think it’s all about how I feel in my mind.”

In Melbourne, he seemed to find a semblance of form, or at least a lot more faith in his defence, as he withstood a period of bowling that Pat Cummins said was pretty close to perfect from his side. Australia hunted for his outside edge, he denied them for the first hour, but then gave them their first breakthrough when he played a risky flick shot that ended up in the hands of the gully fielder.

“As a batter as well, a lot of the things that I am trying to do is not falling in the place that I would want to,” Rohit said after India went 2-1 down in the series. “But mentally, it is disturbing without a doubt.” Reports emerged in the media that Rohit was already thinking of retiring at the end of the Sydney Test, which then begged the question, if he was thinking along those lines, could he not step away now when the series is still alive?

India rarely reveal their XI on the eve of a Test match but Gambhir refusing to confirm whether Rohit will be part of it was odd. Doesn’t the captain walk straight in? Isn’t he the one who decides who plays, not the other way around? The new year has begun with plenty of intrigue for India.

Alagappan Muthu is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo