Rohit Sharma sent packing early in warm-up fixture against Prime Minister's XI

Rohit Sharma at the toss (Pic: Amit Shah)

India captain Rohit Sharma endured a disappointing start to his Australian tour on Day 2 of the warm-up fixture against the Prime Minister's XI on Sunday, December 1, at the Manuka Oval in Canberra.

In his first outing for the Indian team in Australia, Rohit was dismissed cheaply, failing to make an impact. Interestingly, he had sacrificed his usual opening spot to KL Rahul, who had been in exceptional form during the first Test in Perth. Rahul continued to open alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal, and the duo carried forward their impressive partnership from the previous match.

The opening pair added 75 runs for the first wicket, with Jaiswal contributing 45 runs before attempting to play a big shot against Charlie Anderson and getting dismissed. Rahul, on the other hand, retired on 27 off 44 balls, as Rohit walked in to bat. The India captain approached his innings with caution, respecting the swinging conditions under the lights. However, his stay at the crease was short-lived, as he faced just 11 deliveries before being dismissed for a mere 3 runs. Rohit edged a delivery from Anderson to wicketkeeper Oliver Davies, marking a disappointing start for the Indian skipper.

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Earlier, India's bowlers had a strong showing, bowling out Prime Minister's XI for 240 in 43.1 overs. Harshit Rana was the standout performer with the ball, claiming 4 wickets for 44 runs in six overs. Sam Konstas was the top scorer for the opposition, playing an excellent knock of 107 runs off 97 balls. Hanno Jacobs also made a valuable contribution, scoring 61 runs from 60 deliveries. Akash Deep supported Rana well, picking up 2 wickets for 58 runs in his 10 overs. Meanwhile, Prasidh Krishna (1/37), Mohammed Siraj (1/18), Washington Sundar (1/38), and Ravindra Jadeja (1/32) all took a wicket each.

A surprising omission from India's bowling attack was Ravichandran Ashwin, who didn't bowl a single delivery throughout the day's play. His absence from the attack raised eyebrows, as fans and analysts were left wondering about the reason behind his exclusion.

Meanwhile, fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah was also not seen bowling during the match but was spotted practicing with Virat Kohli in the nets, where he bowled full throttle in preparation for the upcoming challenges.