The Indian team will travel to UK for a five-match Test series in late June.
There has been a lot of speculation surrounding Rohit Sharma’s future as captain and player, especially in the longest format and in a recent development coming in, it is understood that the Hitman is set to be axed from captaincy for the upcoming England tour.
The Indian team will travel to the UK for a five-match Test series in late June as part of the new World Test Championship (WTC) cycle.
However, Rohit won’t be the leader of the pack with a new name expected to be announced soon. Young batting sensation Shubman Gill seems to be the frontrunner for the role.
Rohit’s place as a player for the tour is not guaranteed either and it remains to be seen if he travels to England or not. This recent move by the selectors have also been backed by the BCCI.
According to an Indian Express report, a BCCI source privy to the development revealed,
“The selectors’ thought process is clear. They want a new leader for the England tour and Rohit doesn’t fit in as a captain, especially considering his red-ball form. They want to groom a young leader for the next Test cycle and the selection committee has informed the BCCI that Rohit won’t lead the team.”
Nevertheless, the 38-year-old will continue to be in India’s ODI plans.
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The decision to strip Rohit of Test captaincy comes from a performance perspective rather than a transition.
Rohit had struggled in the Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) series earlier this year, averaging just 6.20 in five innings which also saw him dropping himself for the final Test.
Prior to that, in the home Test series against New Zealand last year, Rohit averaged just 15.16 in three Tests.
Thus, removing him from captaincy and playing him as a specialist batter gives the team management the flexibility to chop and change in case he fails to deliver.
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