The Indian cricket team is all set to play an ICC World Test Championship match against the England cricket team from tomorrow in Birmingham. However, it is still not known who will captain the Indian team. Rohit Sharma recently tested positive for COVID-19. Even vice-captain KL Rahul and former skipper Ajinkya Rahane are unavailable. So, there is a question mark over the captaincy.
Some names that have popped up in the discussion to lead the Indian cricket team in the absence of Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and Ajinkya Rahane are Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, Rishabh Pant and Ravichandran Ashwin. Kohli is India’s most successful Test captain, while Pant recently captained India in the home T20I series against the South African cricket team.
Jasprit Bumrah was the vice-captain for the ICC World Test Championship match against the South African cricket team when Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma were injured, while Ravichandran Ashwin has IPL captaincy experience. Here’s what a recent report from Cricbuzz states:
“Jasprit Bumrah is likely to step in as skipper if Rohit fails the fitness test once again. The names of R Ashwin and Rishabh Pant were also discussed but they failed in the ultimate analysis. The former is a doubtful starter for the Test, given his recent Covid-19 history, and the latter is ruled out because of his none-too-impressive record as captain recently.”
Ravichandran Ashwin did not get a chance to play in the first four matches of the series against England
Fans should note that Ravichandran Ashwin was a part of the Indian squad that toured England last year. However, he warmed the benches in all four Test matches. Ravindra Jadeja was preferred ahead of him as the spin-bowling all-rounder of the team.
According to a recent report by the Indian Express, both Jadeja and Ashwin might feature in the Indian playing XI for the Edgbaston Test. It remains to be seen which player leads the team in case Rohit Sharma is unavailable.
