India coach Gautam Gambhir returns mid-tour for personal reasons

Gautam Gambhir with Rohit Sharma (Pic: AFP)

India coach Gautam Gambhir has flown home from Australia for 'personal reasons' but will rejoin the team in time for the second Test in Adelaide next week, a source told AFP on Tuesday.

The tourists under stand-in skipper Jasprit Bumrah won the first Test in Perth by 295 runs on Monday to lead the five-match series 1-0. India play a two-day tour match this weekend and Gambhir will miss the game in Canberra against a Prime Minister's XI.

"He has left Australia but will be back soon before the second Test," the Indian cricket source said. The second Test, a day-night match, begins December 6. India skipper Rohit Sharma will be back for the pink-ball Test after he missed the opening match due to the birth of his second child.

The big Perth win was a stunning turnaround for an Indian team that arrived in Australia on the back of a humiliating 3-0 home series defeat to New Zealand.

Meanwhile, fans turned out in record numbers at Perth Stadium for the highly anticipated Border-Gavaskar Trophy series opener, with the single highest attendance for a day of Test cricket in Perth recorded on days one and two.

The Perth Test attendance saw a remarkable 63% increase year-on-year. Additionally, average viewing audiences were up by 30% year-on-year, reflecting the immense interest in the match, according to the data provided by Cricket Australia.

In the first Test match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, India won the toss and opted to bat first. However, they were dismissed for just 150 runs, with Nitish Kumar Reddy (41 off 59 balls, six fours and a six) and Rishabh Pant (37 off 78 balls, three fours and a six) playing crucial knocks and adding a vital 48-run partnership for the sixth wicket.

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Josh Hazlewood (4/29) was the standout bowler for Australia, with Pat Cummins, Mitchell Marsh, and Mitchell Starc claiming two wickets each. Australia's reply was even worse, as they were reduced to 79/9 before Mitchell Starc (26) and Alex Carey (21) took the total to 104, giving India a slender lead of 46 runs.

Bumrah starred for India with figures of 5/30 in 18 overs, while debutant Harshit Rana impressed with 3/48.

In their second innings, India amassed a massive lead. KL Rahul (77 off 176 balls, five fours) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (161 off 297 balls, 15 fours and three sixes) put up a 201-run opening partnership. Despite losing quick wickets, an unbeaten 100 by Virat Kohli (143 balls, eight fours and two sixes), supported by Washington Sundar (29 off 94 balls, one six) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (38' off 27 balls, three fours and two sixes), propelled India to 487/6 declared, setting Australia a daunting target of 534 runs.

Nathan Lyon (2/96) was the best bowler for Australia, with Cummins, Starc, and Hazlewood taking one wicket each.

At stumps on Day 3, Australia were 12/3, with Bumrah taking two wickets and Mohammed Siraj one. On Day 4, despite valiant efforts from Travis Head (89 off 101 balls, eight fours) and Mitchell Marsh (47 off 67 balls, three fours and two sixes), Australia were bowled out for 238, giving India a resounding 295-run victory.

Bumrah (3/42) and Siraj (3/51) led the bowling in the second innings, while Washington Sundar took two wickets, and Nitish Kumar Reddy and Harshit Rana picked one each.

(With agency inputs)