Vice-captain in focus as Rohit Sharma doubtful for Border-Gavaskar Trophy series opener in Perth – Reports
India captain Rohit Sharma is doubtful for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series opener in Perth due to personal reasons, as per reports in ESPNcricinfo. The match is scheduled to be played in Perth from November 22 onwards. As a result, the vice-captain role will be in focus down under.
India are yet to finalize between Shubman Gill and Jasprit Bumrah as India’s next vice-captain. Notably, the Men in Blue didn’t announce Rohit’s deputy during the recently concluded two-match Test series against Bangladesh.
Bumrah led the team during the one-off Test in England in 2022 when Rohit had to sit out due to COVID-19. Back then, he became the first fast bowler to lead India since Kapil Dev in 1987. Earlier, the speedster had also served as vice-captain for the Test series in Sri Lanka.
Bumrah continued to serve as Rohit’s deputy in the two-match Test series against South Africa in 2023-24 and the five-match Test series against England earlier this year. Apart from Tests, Bumrah also led India in the T20I series in Ireland in 2023.
Despite his workload management, Bumrah has expressed his keenness to represent India in Tests. The speedster said (via Sports Tak):
“My favorite format is the Tests; I’ve always said that. I wanted to play this format for a long period of time and I am doing it. I’m trying to give my absolute best in this format.”
Meanwhile, Shubman Gill has been seen as a long-term captaincy candidate for Team India. He, however, is yet to lead India in Tests. The Gujarat Titans (GT) skipper, however, led the Men in Blue to a 4-1 win during the T20I series in Zimbabwe.
The 25-year-old also served as the vice-captain for the white-ball series in Sri Lanka. Moreover, he led India A in the Duleep Trophy.
“He’s a three-format player” – When Ajit Agarkar backed Shubman Gill to lead India across formats after Rohit Sharma's retirement from T20Is
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) chief selector Ajit Agarkar has backed Shubman Gill to lead India across formats while announcing the squad for the Sri Lanka series earlier this year. The announcement came weeks after Rohit Sharma retired from T20Is after leading the Men in Blue to the T20 World Cup trophy.
Agakar told the reporters (via NDTV):
"When Hardik did get injured, it was a bit of a challenge. Rohit was still around was around, made our life a lot easier. He came and led. We don't want that situation going forward again. Shubman is the guy we feel again as he is a three-format player firstly, and he has shown quality over the last year or so.”
Thus, it seems only a matter of time before India announce Shubman Gill as Rohit Sharma's deputy.
The Border-Gavaskar Trophy series will kick start from November 22. Team India would be keen to complete a hat-trick of series wins in Australia. Skipper Rohit Sharma will be looking to replicate Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane. The duo led India to 2-1 series wins in 2018-19 and 2020-21 series.