ENG vs IRE: Harbhajan Singh Picks His India Captain For Edgbaston Test: India captain Rohit Sharma continues to be in isolation yet the management and selectors have not publically announced a replacement captain in case Sharma doesn’t make it for the Edgbaston Test versus England starting July 1.
After Rohit didn’t come out to bat in the second innings of the warm-up match vs Leicestershire, the BCCI announced on Saturday that Rohit tested positive for covid-19 and was in quarantine in his hotel room. The selectors then sent Mayank Agarwal as a backup opening option.
In case Sharma is not out of isolation or even if he doesn’t pass the fitness tests ahead of the Test match, the visitors will need a new captaincy option since KL Rahul, the designated vice-captain, is also ruled out due to a groin injury.
Harbhajan Singh picks Jasprit Bumrah as India’s captain for Edgbaston
Fans have been opining their alternatives to lead India against Ben Stokes’ side, but for former India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh, it should be none other than spearhead pacer Jasprit Bumrah.
In a reply to ICC’s tweet, which discussed the captaincy options in the Indian squad and asked who should take charge of the Indian Test team in Edgbaston should Rohit miss the game, Harbhajan tagged Bumrah:
@Jaspritbumrah93 https://t.co/njMwnDtO9Z
— Harbhajan Turbanator (@harbhajan_singh) June 28, 2022
If Bumrah is indeed tasked with leading the side, it will be a historic moment in Indian cricket as then Bumrah will become the first pacer since Kapil Dev to captain India in Tests.
Bumrah had been added to the leadership group earlier this year. He was named vice-captain during India’s tour of South Africa during the ODI series, with KL Rahul leading the side in Rohit Sharma’s absence. Then, he was also the vice-captain during the Test and T20I series against Sri Lanka, serving as Rohit’s deputy when Rahul was injured.
The other likely option in the radar is Rishabh Pant, who led India in the recent T20I vs South Africa in absence of Rohit, Rahul and Bumrah. Some fans and experts also feel that Virat Kohli could also be urged to lead the side for one last time; it was under Kohli’s leadership last year that India took a 2-1 lead after 4 Tests in the series before the fifth Test was postponed.
