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Amidst the preparations for the series against West Indies, all eyes are on Indian skipper Rohit Sharma. After the debacle in the World Test Championship (WTC), speculations were rife about Rohit’s captaincy in future, but a senior BCCI official has dispelled these doubts. While there were rumors that Rohit might have asked for a break while seeking rest for the Test series, it has been confirmed that he will be available for selection.
Rohit is fit and available for selection. His break will be good. So, there is no worry of workload management either. He will captain in the West Indies series.
Unfortunately, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer and Jasprit Bumrah will not be available for the West Indies series as they are still recovering from their injuries. Cheteshwar Pujara may still get another chance but the selectors are keen to include some young faces in the Indian team.
Sarfaraz Khan has been doing well in the Ranji Trophy scoring runs consistently. However, securing a place in the Test team has proved to be a challenge for him.
With the availability and potential captaincy of Rohit Sharma, the Indian team is looking forward to an exciting and competitive series against the West Indies. The stage is set for the players to showcase their skills and for Rohit to lead the team to victory.
Is Rohit’s form a matter of concern?
Despite a lackluster IPL, Rohit looked good in the second innings of the WTC final. His statistics in international cricket are worth reading. In One Day Internationals (ODIs), he has maintained an impressive average of 49.27 in the last 12 months. In 13 innings, he has scored one century and four half-centuries with a commendable strike rate of 111.52.
In Test cricket, Rohit averages 37.5 in the last five matches he has been a part of.
He said, ‘Yes, he has not scored many runs in IPL and WTC final. But he has done well in the last few months. He scored a century against Australia in Nagpur. He is taking care of his fitness. It is harsh to criticize him on the basis of form.
Apart from Sarfaraz Khan, Mukesh Kumar is expected to get a call-up for the Test matches. There is a possibility of rotating Mohammed Siraj and Mohammed Shami to ensure their freshness. Umesh Yadav’s availability remains uncertain and there is a possibility that Jaydev Unadkat may be given a chance to play.
