Perth: India head coach Gautam Gambhir has flown back home with his family due to a “personal emergency” and is unlikely to rejoin the squad before the second Test against Australia beginning December 6 in Adelaide.
The Delhi-based Gambhir will skip India’s two-day pink ball warm-up game against Prime Minister’s in Canberra starting November 30.
“He left with his family on early Tuesday morning for India. It is an unavoidable personal emergency. He will be back in Adelaide before the start of the second Test match,” a BCCI official told PTI on conditions of anonymity.
The Indian team will leave for Canberra Wednesday, where it is expected to attend an official reception by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
The two-day match will be crucial preparation for the side as the second Test is going to be a day-night game. The pink Kookaburra ball will be used during the clash.
Prime Minister’s XI will be led by all-rounder Jack Edwards and it is a squad full of youngsters, along with a few Test-capped internationals like Scott Boland and Matthew Renshaw.
The rules of the game will be decided by the two teams and it is expected that everyone will bat and bowl as it does not have an official status.
