Rohit Sharma appointed India’s Test captain for Sri Lanka series
Rohit Sharma was on Saturday named as India’s Test captain, one of the highest-pressure jobs in world sport, completing his takeover of the leadership across cricket formats after Virat Kohli’s exit.
The All-India Senior Selection Committee has named @ImRo45 as #TeamIndia's Test Captain. pic.twitter.com/GaIUZDthtf
— BCCI (@BCCI) February 19, 2022
Senior batters Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara were dropped from the squad.
Test squad – Rohit Sharma (C), Priyank Panchal, Mayank Agarwal, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Hanuma Vihari, Shubhman Gill, Rishabh Pant (wk), KS Bharath, R Jadeja, Jayant Yadav, R Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Sourabh Kumar, Mohd. Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Mohd. Shami, Jasprit Bumrah (VC).
— BCCI (@BCCI) February 19, 2022
T20I squad – Rohit Sharma (C),Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shreyas Iyer, Surya Kumar Yadav, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan (wk), Venkatesh Iyer, Deepak Chahar, Deepak Hooda, R Jadeja, Y Chahal, R Bishnoi,Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel, Jasprit Bumrah(VC),Avesh Khan
— BCCI (@BCCI) February 19, 2022
Rohit, 34, will lead the side in the upcoming two Test series against Sri Lanka starting March 4, chairman of selectors Chetan Sharma told reporters.
Chetan Sharma said: “We want to groom future captains under Rohit Sharma. He is the No 1 cricketer of our country. He is absolutely fit. When a big player like him becomes a captain, the grooming part becomes easy.”
©️𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐀𝐈𝐍 𝐇𝐈𝐓𝐌𝐀𝐍 in Test Cricket! 🇮🇳💙
𝐑𝐨𝐡𝐢𝐭 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐚 becomes the 35th Test captain of #TeamIndia 👑#OneFamily @ImRo45 pic.twitter.com/zyrWh08xRY
— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) February 19, 2022
Meanwhile, KL Rahul and Washington Sundar were ruled out of Sri Lanka’s entire tour due to injuries.