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REVEALED: Will Rohit Sharma Be Part Of India's Test Squad For England Tour?
Follow UsIn his last eight Tests, Rohit has only managed 164 runs in 15 innings at an average of 10.93
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) have shortlisted around 35 players for the upcoming five-match Test series in England and the preceding India ‘A’ tour. Test captain Rohit Sharma is among those shortlisted, reported the Times of India.
The Men in Blue are scheduled to play five Tests in England, starting from June 20. Before the main tour, there will also be an India ‘A’ tour, but the final dates haven’t been confirmed yet.
Under Rohit’s leadership, India were whitewashed 3-0 by New Zealand at home and then lost the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia after 10 years. Rohit himself has been in terrible form with the bat in red-ball cricket.
In his last eight Tests, the opener has only managed 164 runs in 15 innings at an average of 10.93. Rohit, however, has been in pretty decent form in white-ball cricket, and the selectors feel India can’t afford to have a new captain for the England tour.
Sai Sudharshan is likely to be the back-up opener, while Karun Nair and Rajat Patidar will be given a chance in the ‘A’ series to claim a spot in the middle-order.
“Rohit is most likely to travel as the board feels that one needs a strong captain through the series, which is likely to be as tough as the Australia tour,” a BCCI source said.
“With regard to the middle-order, the team management has shown very little confidence in Sarfaraz Khan’s ability. Nair and Patidar are seasoned red-ball players and are in fine form. It is likely that at least one of them will be in the India ‘A’ team.
“As for Shreyas Iyer, he was dropped last year based on his poor returns in Test cricket. A final call is yet to be taken.”
Now that R Ashwin has retired, Kuldeep Yadav is likely to be India’s frontline spinner. India will also be looking for backup seamers for Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami, as Mohammed Siraj hasn’t been quite reliable.
The portal also reported that some of the players from the main squad will be asked to play at least one of the India ‘A’ games.