India are set to play the rescheduled Test against England starting July 1 but they were without the services of their all-format captain Rohit Sharma. The opener tested positive Covid-19 during the warm-up game and since then it is not clear whether he will be fit to play at Edgabston, Birmingham. While Jasprit Bumrah is the obvious stand-in skipper, many feel that former skipper Virat Kohli should take charge in the final game of the series where India are leading by 2-1. England all-rounder Moeen Ali feels the same too but feels it is the veteran’s call.
“It is a tough for one and I was thinking about this last night. Because Virat was captain of the series before I would probably give it to him just for this one game. But it is obviously his call whether he wants to do it. He is probably happy and relaxed in his mind and doesn't want to captain. That could also be difficult. I think it is a good idea. He is got the experience and it is a big series for India,” Ali told Sports Today in an exclusive interview ahead of the final Test of the series.
Kohli left Test captaincy earlier this year after series loss to South Africa. He stepped down as captained from the T20I format and sacked as ODI captain. Also, he let go of captaincy for Indian Premier League (IPL) side Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).
While it is not clear whether Rohit will open alongside or his backup Mayank Agarwal will accompany Shubman Gill, Ali shared his opinion over the playing XI India should choose for the important fixture. The all-rounder feels that India should not go into the clash with four seamers but instead include Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. Ali explained that it has more to do with current conditions and not the pitch.
“The weather has been really good for the last two to three weeks. It has been fantastic. So, most of the pitches are a little bit dry at this moment. As we saw in Leeds last game, Trent Bridge was also flat but the weather was amazing. It has cooled down slightly but I feel India should go with two spinners, three seamers - Shami, Bumrah, Siraj and obviously two spinners in Jadeja, Ashwin. It is because of the conditions actually more than anything. The wicket is generally quite flat in a way it might not spin so much in the first innings but definitely it will take spin later on,” the 35-year-old explained.
Ali also branded Ben Stokes-led England as favourites to win the Test and level the series. Stokes-Brendon McCullum made an emphatic debut by whitewashing New Zealand in the three-Test series.
“I would say if this was last year, India would have won 3-1. But now, I feel the way England have played India could be slightly undercooked. The conditions in England are a bit different now. I think England are quite confident and if they come out and play they have been playing in the last three games, I would say England are the favourites here,” Ali opined.
