If Rohit is not playing in first Test, Bumrah should captain India for entire Aus tour: Gavaskar
New Delhi: The legendary Sunil Gavaskar on Monday said that if India captain Rohit Sharma is not playing in the first Test against Australia in the upcoming marquee series, then Jasprit Bumrah should lead the side for the entire tour Down Under.
He said Rohit, whenever he comes in, should participate in the series only as a player.
The Australia tour for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy begins on November 22 in Perth, and Rohit is likely to miss the first match as his wife is expecting their second child. He is expected to join the team from the second game of the series.
Rohit is, however, not sure about the schedule yet.
In the absence of Rohit, Bumrah is likely to captain the team in Perth.
"It is important for the captain to play the first Test match. It's different if he is injured, but if he is not available, then the deputy leader will be under a lot of pressure," Gavaskar said on Sports Tak.
"I have been reading that Rohit Sharma might not play the first two Tests of the Australia series. I feel that, in that case the selection committee should appoint Jasprit Bumrah the captain of the side for the entire Australia tour, and tell Rohit Sharma that you will participate as a player in this series. For the first Test match, Rohit Sharma has to be there."
Rohit has been in terrible form of late as he has scored less than 100 runs in the three Tests against New Zealand at home.
The Indian team needs four wins from the five Tests in Australia to qualify for the World Test Championship Final.
Gavaskar said India cannot qualify for the WTC final from here.
"No, I don't. I actually dont. India cannot beat Australia 4-0 in the Test series. I'd be very, very I'd be over the moon. If they do that, I would be over the moon if they do that. But 4-0.
"India can win 3-1, 4-0 is... don't talk about the World Test Championship final. Now just focus on trying to win the series in Australia. Never mind whether you win 1-0, 2-0, 3-0, 3-1, 2-1. But go and win. Because that is how all of us Indian cricket fans are going to be back to feeling good again," Gavaskar said.
Asked if the clock is ticking for Rohit and Virat Kohli, he said, "It's ticking for everybody. It's not just them. But, because they are in their 30s, mid-30s, it will be tougher for them than the guys in the early 20s or early 30s.
"But the clock is ticking for everybody. Which is why I say, the more you are playing, the more you will be prepared to meet the demands of modern-day cricket.
"Totally understandable . This is one of those rare series where both of them have not been able to score runs. Don't forget, Kohli got a 70 in the second innings in Bengaluru. It's just one of those rarities where both these stalwarts have not been able to make significant contributions," he added.
He said a bad patch happens with everyone and how the player comes back from that phase will tell how good he is.
"What we are going to see in Australia is really going to be interesting. What we are going to see in Australia will determine the future of the Test team.
"Definitely yes. If they don't score runs in Australia, there will be a clamour for a new-look Indian team to start from the tour of England," he added.
Asked to review Gautam Gambhir's brief stint as the head coach, Gavaskar said the numbers tell the story.
"The results speak for themselves. Even in Sri Lanka, India lost an ODI series after a long time. And now here, it's a loss, it's a terrible loss. So, I think the results speak for themselves," he said.
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Andhra to be developed as knowledge, creator economy hub: CM Naidu
New Delhi/Amaravati (PTI): Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Friday said the state is taking steps to transform itself into a knowledge and creator economy hub with a strong focus on artificial intelligence and quantum technology.
He noted that Andhra Pradesh has abundant tech-driven youth and the government is formulating plans to train them in futuristic technologies with support from global technology firms.
"Our goal is to transform Andhra Pradesh into a knowledge hub by focusing on AI, quantum computing, data centres, drone cities and space cities. The youth will remain our biggest asset over the next 25 years, and we seek global partnerships to scale up the creator economy," said Naidu during his interactions at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in Delhi.
Naidu, who participated in the summit in the national capital, also held meetings with several global technology leaders and industrialists to explore collaborations in artificial intelligence, clean energy and innovation ecosystems.
He met Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen, Autodesk AI Head Mike Haley, Aramco India Director Abdul Rehman AiThukair, LEGO Education Vice President Tom Hall, Aadhaar Founder and CTO Srikanth Nadhamuni, Khosla Ventures Managing Partner Vinod Khosla and others at the AP Pavilion.
The chief minister also held discussions with Saudi Aramco representatives on clean energy projects, including solar initiatives, and invited the company to expand operations in Andhra Pradesh, stating that the state is highly suitable for green energy production.
He sought support from NVIDIA Vice President Callista Redmond for establishing AI Living Labs and proposed partnerships through the Ratan Tata Innovation Hub to promote youth innovation, including collaborations with IIT Tirupati and Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Tirupati under the Andhra Pradesh Future Innovation and Research for Science and Technology (AP FIRST) initiative.
Naidu urged Autodesk leadership to support the development of Global Capability Centres in design engineering and requested the establishment of an Innovation Academy in Amaravati aligned with quantum technology, besides proposing AI and robotics learning labs in partnership with LEGO Education.
He also discussed AI-driven smart governance solutions with Quantela Inc Chairman Sridhar Gadhi, while World Bank Group Digital AI Regional Director Mahesh Uttamchandani met Naidu on the sidelines of the summit.
Following the meetings, Naidu visited various exhibition stalls at the summit, including those of NVIDIA, Tata, Intel and Microsoft, and reviewed AI applications across agriculture, healthcare and industry.
