Jasprit Bumrah was on Friday appointed as the vice-captain of India’s 15-member squad against New Zealand.© BCCI
The BCCI on Friday announced the 15-man squad of Team India for the upcoming three-match Test series against New Zealand starting on October 16 in Bengaluru. While Rohit Sharma will continue to lead the team, ace Jasprit Bumrah has been named as his replacement for three matches. Bumrah’s elevation as vice-captain comes just a day after reports emerged that Rohit may miss one of the first two Tests against Australia due to personal reasons. The Indian team will play a five-Test series in Australia starting on November 22 in Perth, and Rohit is likely to miss the first or second match in Adelaide (December 6-10).
The report claims that if Rohit misses the Australia game early on, India captain Abhimanyu Yaswaran is likely to be his cover at the top of the order. Shubman Gill and KL Rahul were the other contenders to open the batting for India in his absence.
However, the report did not clarify who will be the vice-captain of the Test team as there was no official replacement for Rohit during the recent home series against Bangladesh, which India won 2-0.
“There is no complete clarity about the situation. It is understood that Rohit has hinted to BCCI that there is a possibility due to an urgent personal issue that he may miss one of the two Tests at the start of the series,” a BCCI source told PTI on condition of anonymity.
Bumrah has led India in the past, including a Test in England that was rescheduled. However, India had lost the match allowing England to level the series. His elevation is a clear indication that the pacer can lead India in a match against Australia if Rohit misses a Test at the start of the tour.
Unlike the Bangladesh series, which was a two-match series, India added four players to the reserve list. After making their debut in the T20I series against Bangladesh, pacer Mayank Yadav and all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy were added to the four-man list. Uncapped pacer Harshit Rana and Prasidh Krishna are the other reserves in the list.
(With PTI inputs)
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