Jasprit Bumrah to captain Team India in 5th Test vs England if Rohit Sharma misses out: Report

Rahul Dravid has operated with several captains ever since he took over as the permanent head coach of Team India last year. Ahead of the fifth and final Test between India and England, which gets underway on July 01 in Edgbaston, it seems that Dravid will have to work and strategise with another new captain in the form of Jasprit Bumrah.

The 28-year-old wily pacer Jasprit is in-line to become India's stand-in captain for the rescheduled fifth Test if regular skipper Rohit Sharma fails to recover on time. For the unversed, Rohit had tested positive for Covid-19 on Sunday (June 26), shortly after India's four-day practice game versus Leicestershire. Heagain tested positive, as per a report in ESPNCricinfo, on Wednesday morning (June 29) and will take two more tests (later in the day and on Thursday) before the series decider. Thus, it seems highly unlikely that Hitman will recover on time for the final Test, i.e. a spilloverfrom last year's series. In 2021, Virat Kohli-led India had gained an unassailable 2-1 lead over hosts England before the final Test was cancelled in the wake of the Covid crisis in the Indian camp.

ALSO READ |There is not much difference: CSK star opines on captaincy styles of MS Dhoni and Eoin Morgan

Add WION as a Preferred Source

As per reports, the Indian team management has already informed Bumrah that he will lead incase Rohit doesn't recover. Earlier, the pacer had served as Rohit's deputy for the India-Sri Lanka home series, prior to IPL 2022. If he comes out as India's captain on Friday, he will become only the second speedster after Kapil Dev to lead the national side in whites.

For Rohit, the 35-year-old is set to undergo few more rounds of Covid-19 tests to know about his availability. In the incomplete five-match series, Rohit remains India's highest run-scorer, with 368 runs including two fifties and a hundred.

India have a solid chance of winning their first-ever Test series on English soil. Thus, Bumrah will have a huge responsibility on his shoulders in case Rohit misses out.