For the upcoming three-match T20I series and two-match Test series against Sri Lanka, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the Indian team. And in a major development, the post of Indian Test captain, which had been vacant for the past several days, has also been handed over to Rohit Sharma. After handling the captain’s role in T20I and ODI formats, Rohit will now be leading the Indian team in the longest format of the game.
Rohit's challenge
In a situation like this, the biggest challenge for Rohit Sharma will be to take team India to the final of the ICC World Test Championship to be held in 2023 and then to win an ICC trophy as well.
It is worth noting that Virat Kohli had previously left India's T20I captaincy in September last year and after that he had resigned from India's Test captaincy earlier this year. Kohli’s decision to step down from the role of Indian team’s Test captain, came just a day after Indian Test team’s 2-1 series defeat against South Africa.
Virat Kohli took over the Test captaincy of India when former India captain MS Dhoni retired from Test cricket midway during the 2014 tour of Australia. When Kohli took over the captaincy, team India were at 7th place in the ICC rankings and from there he took India to number one. Not only this, but also under the captaincy of Kohli, Indian team won the Test series for the first time in Australia.
The schedule
Indian team are scheduled to take on Sri Lanka in a three-match T20I series. In the first T20I match of the series, the two teams will face each other on February 24, in Lucknow. The second match of the series will be held on February 26, and for this the two teams will have to travel to Dharamshala.
In the final T20I match of the series, the two teams will be seen in action on February 27, at the same venue.
After the completion of the three-match T20I series, the two teams will face each other in a Test series.
The Test series is slated to be comprised of two Test matches. The first Test match of the series will be played on March 4, in Mohali. The second and final Test match of the series will be taking place in Bengaluru, on March 12.
Indian Test Squad:
Rohit Sharma (captain), Mayank Agarwal, Priyank Panchal, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Hanuma Vihari, Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper), KS Bharat, Ravichandran Ashwin (subject to fitness), Ravindra Jadeja, Jayant Yadav, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah (vice captain), Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Saurabh Kumar.
Indian T20I squad:
Rohit Sharma (captain), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper), Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Venkatesh Iyer, Deepak Hooda, Jasprit Bumrah (vice captain), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Deepak Chahar, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Siraj, Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravi Bishnoi, Kuldeep Yadav, Avesh Khan.
