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What TV doesn't, print can't; we deliver.
BENGALURU: India’s premier pacer Jasprit Bumrah is announced as the captain for rescheduled 5th Test against England after Rohit Sharma failed to recover from COVID-19. Sharma on Saturday tested positive for COVID and was in isolation in the team hotel. The right-hander once again tested positive on Thursday.
Bumrah has become the first fast bowler to captain India since Kapil Dev who played his last match as skipper in 1987. Overall, he is the 36th cricketer to lead India in the longest format since India first played in 1932.
Wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant, who led India in the recently-concluded T20I series at home against South Africa, has been named Bumrah’s deputy.
“It is a very big honour. It is a very big achievement. We did a test today morning as well. Rohit tested positive. Then I was officially informed that I was going to lead the side,” the 28-year-old said.
“There are many leaders in the team and I can take guidance from them at any time. The role of all the 11 players is to help India win. I am not thinking about what I can bring extra as a bowler-captain and focusing on what we can do as a team,” he added.
On being asked about being the first-time captain, he stated, “MS Dhoni told me that he captained India straight away. He had never captained anywhere else and he is one of the most successful captains. I am just focusing on how to help the team and not on what I have done before.”
India’s other opener, KL Rahul, has already been ruled out of the match due to a groin injury. In the absence of Rohit and Rahul, Shubman Gill and Cheteshwar Pujara are expected to open the innings for India in the Edgbaston Test.
Rohit’s absence is a huge blow for India as he was in sparkling form and had scored 368 runs in the 4 Tests against England before the series was called off because a host of players had tested positive. He was also Man of the Match in the Oval Test.
India are leading the series 2-1 and need either a win or a draw to win the Test series in England for the first time since 2007. The fifth Test will be followed by three T20Is and three ODIs.
India’s Test squad: Jasprit Bumrah (Captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Hanuma Vihari, Cheteshwar Pujara, Rishabh Pant (vice-captain) (wk), KS Bharat (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Mohd Shami, Mohd Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, Mayank Agarwal.
