Jasprit Bumrah on Standby to Lead India in 5th Test vs England if Rohit Sharma’s Misses Out: Report

Leicester: Jasprit Bumrah led India in the warm-up game against Leicestershire after Rohit Sharma tested positive for Covid and did not take any further part. With less than a week left for the fifth Test against England, BCCI find themselves in a spot of bother over who will lead if Rohit has to miss the game. While BCCI is still hopeful Rohit would feature in the game, reports suggest Bumrah has been informed about the situation and kept on standby.

“Jasprit has been informed about the situation and he is on standby to lead. Look, Rishabh is very young and needs to be groomed to lead in Tests. If Rohit is not available, Rishabh will be the vice-captain,” a board official told InsideSport about the development.

The same report also claims that selector Chetan Sharma would be reaching the UK on June 28 and a call on captaincy would be taken after that.

Also, Mayank Agarwal has been asked to join the team as standby for Rohit. In case Rohit is not featuring in the game, it is likely that Mayank opens with Shubman Gill. Agarwal is not required to undergo any quarantine and the star batter can feature in the Indian playing XI if required.

“Rohit will remain in isolation. There is no rush to take a decision on captaincy yet. If Rohit tests negative by June 30, he will be available for the match. He is match-fit and should not be a problem,” member of selection committee told InsideSport.