ENG vs IND: India’s Stand-In Captain For “5th Test” vs England To Be Decided After Chief Selector Chetan Sharma Reaches UK – Reports

India’s stand-in captain for the rescheduled Test against England will be decided after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) chief selector Chetan Sharma reaches the UK, according to a Cricbuzz report.

Currently, the BCCI chief selector, Chetan Sharma, is in Dublin with the Indian team. Notably, India are playing a two-match T20I series against the Ireland National Cricket Team.

ICC Player Rankings | ICC Team Rankings

Also, the other three BCCI selectors – Sunil Joshi, Debasis Mohanty, and Harvinder Singh – have been in Bengaluru for the Ranji Trophy 2022 final, which concluded on Sunday with Madhya Pradesh lifting their maiden trophy.

Meanwhile, India all-format captain Rohit Sharma was tested positive for COVID-19 as per the result of a Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) conducted on Saturday (June 25).

 "Team India captain Mr. Rohit Sharma has tested positive for COVID-19 following a Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) conducted on Saturday." He is currently in isolation at the team hotel and is under the care of the BCCI Medical Team. An RT-PCR test will be conducted on Sunday to ascertain his CT value, "BCCI said in an official statement.

 

The news of Rohit's being COVID-19 positive came after the third day’s play of the warm-up match between India and Leicestershire. Rohit didn’t bat for India in the second innings of the warm-up game, and in the first innings, he had made 25 runs.

Chetan Sharma Set To Travel To The UK On June 2

The chief selector, Chetan Sharma, will be travelling to the UK after the conclusion of the two-match T20I series between Hardik Pandya-led India and Andy Balbirnie-led Ireland. The second and last match of the series will be played on June 28.

Meanwhile, Rohit can still play the rescheduled Test against England if he tests negative before the game as there are no mandatory quarantine protocols in England for a COVID-19 positive test result and it all depends on the team protocols.

By the time Chetan Sharma reaches the UK, the fitness status of Rohit is expected to be clear. Presently, the BCCI selectors are not pressing the panic button to announce a stand-in India captain for the one-off Test as the thinking is that a stand-in captain can always be named at the last minute as India have options like Jasprit Bumrah, Rishabh Pant, and Ravichandran Ashwin.

Also, according to the same Cricbuzz report, Mayank Agarwal could travel to England for the one-off Test as India only have Shubman Gill as a pure opener in the squad. The final decision on this matter has not yet been taken.

The 5th and last Test match of the series between India and England, which was cancelled last year due to the COVID-19 outbreak in the Indian camp, will be played at Edgbaston, Birmingham from Friday, July 1.