Rohit Sharma was found to be covid positive in a rapid antigen test conducted on 25th June 2022. His participation in the 5th rescheduled Test against England seems to be unlikely. In his absence, the Indian team might be in huge trouble if the captain selected to lead the side crumbles under pressure. Coach Rahul Dravid and the support selection committee of BCCI must be mulling over the options available to them for captaincy. Two names that are most likely to consider for the role are Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah.
Who will be the better captain for India, Kohli or Bumrah?
Without a shadow of a doubt, Virat Kohli can be a much better captain than Jasprit Bumrah in the 5th Test against England. Kohli led India in 68 matches and won 40 out of them before he decided to resign as the captain of the Indian team. Under his captaincy, India went on the path of world domination. He helped India take the top spot in the Test ranking for three consecutive years from 2017-2019.
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On the other hand, Jasprit Bumrah has become an indispensable asset for the Indian team in Test cricket. He is perhaps the most reliable player in India’s playing eleven. The trust shown in him by other Indian players can help him guide them against England in the 5th Test.
Who stands a better chance at captaincy?
Currently, the odds are high for Jasprit Bumrah as he has handled the vice-captaincy of the Indian Test team. Virat Kohli took an abrupt decision to leave the Test captaincy after being involved in a tussle with BCCI. The selectors won’t be keen to pick Virat Kohli as captain in the absence of Rohit Sharma. There is also a chance that the former Indian captain won’t take up the captaincy even if it is offered to him.
However, it can’t be forgotten that he is the most successful captain ever for India in Test cricket. And in fact, it was Kohli who was actually supposed to lead the team in the 5th Test against England before it was postponed due to the covid threat in 2021. Even then, due to the ugly spat of Virat Kohli with BCCI, Jasprit Bumrah is considered to be the front runner for the role of skipper in the 5th Test.
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