Despite being handed T20 captaincy, Rohit Sharma asked the BCCI for a vacation from white-ball cricket in South Africa, and the BCCI granted it. Jasprit Bumrah will be Rohit Sharma’s deputy for the two Test matches that begin on December 26. The desire of Virat Kohli to take a sabbatical from limited-overs cricket has also been granted; KL Rahul will captain the national side in ODIs, and Suryakumar Yadav will lead it in T20Is. Scroll down to read Rohit Sharma To Miss White-Ball Series In South Africa?
Rohit Sharma To Miss White-Ball Series In South Africa?
It is acknowledged, though, that should Rohit opt to play in the shortest format, Hardik Pandya will no longer be the first candidate for T20 captaincy in the T20 World Cup the following year.
“Rohit has been offered the T20 captaincy, but he is now on vacation in the UK and would like a longer rest following a demanding four months of play till the World Cup concludes. However, he has the utmost regard for the locker room as captain, and if he accepts to captain India in the T20 World Cup, he would lead,” a BCCI source, who wished to remain anonymous, told PTI.
Rohit had been reluctant to play the shortest format since he was concentrating on 50-over cricket following the 2022 T20 World Cup.
It’s interesting to note that the majority of players chosen for ODIs don’t participate in T20Is or Tests.
Just three players—Shreyas Iyer, Mukesh Kumar, and Ruturaj Gaikwad—have been chosen for each of the three squads.
Ravindra Jadeja has been named the T20 vice captain for the series, replacing Axar Patel in the squad.
As anticipated, the national selection committee did not include Kona Bharat in the Test squad because KL Rahul will now be playing with huge gloves.
In the Test lineup, Rahul’s position as keeper also creates two middle-order spots for reserve batter Gaikwad and middle-order player Shreyas Iyer.
Mohammed Shami is thought to have an opportunity to recover before the Test series begins in late December.
“Shami has been kept in the squad because his ailment isn’t too significant right now. Just in case, Prasidh Krishna has been retained as his cover.
Although the 50-over games for the 2025 Champions Trophy will be played by a new team led by Rahul, the One-Day International (ODI) format currently holds the least significance.
The core of the upcoming 50-over side will consist of Rajat Patidar, B Sai Sudharshan, and Rinku Singh, who all have outstanding List-A records and are part of the ODI squad.
Both white-ball squads include Kuldeep Yadav, who was unable to get into the Test team.
After missing the World Cup, Yuzvendra Chahal is back in the 50-over format, while Ravi Bishnoi is part of the T20 team.
