India dropped skipper Rohit Sharma but their top order batting woes continued as they struggled to 57 for three in the opening session of the fifth test against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Friday.

Jasprit Bumrah had previously captained the team during the first Test in Perth, where India triumphed by a commanding 295-run margin.

India won the toss and elected to bat first in the fifth and final Test against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Friday, January 3. The visitors made a couple of changes to their playing XI with the biggest one of captain Rohit Sharma,

By Nick Mulvenney SYDNEY (Reuters) -India dropped skipper Rohit Sharma but their batting woes continued as they crawled to 107 for four at tea on the first day of the fifth and final test against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Friday.

The captain of the Indian cricket team is sitting out of a crucial Test match for the first time ever in the middle of an ongoing series as defeats in Australia beckon generational change in the country’s most popular and richest sport.

Indian captain Rohit Sharma has excused himself from the fifth and final Test against Australia by opting to "rest" himself following a string of underwhelming performances. The decision has put a question mark on Sharma's future in the longest format.

India’s captain has been out of form during the series in Australia and his inclusion in the decisive Sydney Test is in doubt

Head coach Gautam Gambhir has slowly started to phase out Rohit Sharma. The press meet before SCG Test and the meeting with Australian PM had clear signs.