Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting has raised concerns about India’s captain Rohit Sharma rejoining the squad for the second Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25, suggesting it could be a "potential disruption" to the team’s rhythm.

Ponting, speaking on The ICC Review, emphasized how crucial a settled playing XI is for India, especially as they head into the pink-ball Test at the Adelaide Oval, which is scheduled to start on December 6.

The five-match Test series kicks off on November 22 at Perth, but Rohit will miss the opener due to paternity leave, staying back in India after the birth of his second child.

Jasprit Bumrah will lead India in Rohit's absence for the first Test. However, Rohit is expected to join the team before the second Test and will play in the warm-up pink-ball game in Canberra to prepare for his return to the side.

Ponting believes India may already have a settled lineup without Rohit, which could make his return a challenge. He stated :

“I just think there’s potential for more disruption through their campaign with Sharma coming back and whatever else. So, I’ll stick with it (3-1 verdict in favor of Australia). Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith need to make runs for Australia. And their bowling attack obviously is as good as anyone's in the world. So, I'll stick with my 3-1 Australia prediction.”

Reflecting on India’s preparation for the first Test, Ponting said, “India will be pretty certain of what team they’re going to play (in Perth). They’ve known for a while that Rohit probably wasn’t going to be here. They’ve probably known for a while that Bumrah was going to be captain. So, they’ve probably known what holes they’ve needed to fill. So, they’ll be reasonably settled.”