Gautam Gambhir returns home after India’s BGT victory in Perth; head coach takes BCCI nod to miss Canberra game

India cricket team head coach Gautam Gambhir made an emergency return to India with family from Australia in the middle of ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) and is unlikely to be present during the two-day pink-ball warm-up game in Canberra starting on November 30.

According to PTI, Gambhir had to leave the Indian team due to a personal emergency. He will be joining the squad before the second Test against Australia in Adelaide which starts on December 6. India are already 1-0 up in BGT with a 295-run win in Perth.

It is learnt that Gambhir sought BCCI permission for his return. "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.

Having won the first Test in Perth inside four days, the Indians will have a rest day on Tuesday before leaving for Canberra on Wednesday (November 27). At Canberra, the entire team is expected to meet Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in a special reception.

With Rohit Sharma already in Australia after missing the first Test due to the birth of his baby boy, the Indian skipper will be leading his team against Prime Minister's XI in Canberra from November 30.

Prime Minister's XI consists of youngsters with pacer Scott Boland expected to play the game against a full-strength Indian team. The rules of the game will be decided by the two teams and it is expected that everyone will bat and ball as it won't have an official status.

What is India's record in Pink-ball Test matches?

India have so far played four day-night Test matches in history, winning three and losing one. Interestingly, India's win in pink-ball Test matches came at home. Their only loss came against Australia in Adelaide.

India started with an innings and 46-run win against Bangladesh at Eden Gardens in 2019. The next year, India lost to Australia by eight wickets in an away game. Their next two wins came against England in 2021 (by 10 wickets) and Sri Lanka in 2022 (by 238 runs).