According to the latest reports of the Indian Express, Rohit Sharma has been ruled out of the rescheduled fifth Test against England, and the premier seamer, Jasprit Bumrah has been appointed as the captain for the Edgbaston Test. India will take on England in Birmingham in a Test match scheduled to be commencing on July 1. Rohit has again tested positive for Covid-19 and the decision was taken in a team meeting.
For the first time in three and a half decades, a fast bowler will lead India in a Test match. Bumrah is set to follow in Kapil Dev’s footsteps and for the first time since 1987, India will have a fast-bowling captain. Earlier this year, Bumrah had been promoted as the vice-captain of the Indian team for the three-match ODI series in South Africa.
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With Rohit Sharma likely to be out of the one-off Test match against England, due to Covid, a place has opened up at the top of India’s Test-match batting line-up. India might have to go with stand-in opener Hanuma Vihari, who’s done it before or there might be an outside chance for Srikar Bharat.
Rohit Sharma ruled out of the 5th Test against England. Jasprit Bumrah will be the captain. (Reported by PTI).
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) June 29, 2022
Hanuma Vihari has opened before, but he only registered scores of 8 and 13, apart from that, he spent 80 minutes at the crease in the first innings, and nearly an hour in the second, helping see off the new ball and earning the praise of the former Indian skipper, Virat Kohli.
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But going by the form it could be KS Bharat, who had impressed with the bat in both the outing in the warm-up game against Leicestershire. Batting at No 7, in the first innings, the 28-year-old played an unbeaten knock of 70, while he scored a feisty 43 in the second innings. Bharat opened for India in absence of Rohit Sharma and was involved in a 62-run partnership for the opening wicket with Shubman Gill.
