Rohit Sharma may be in isolation due to corona infection, but the team management, selectors and BCCI are in no hurry to announce the stand-in captain. At present, the situation is being closely monitored and all options are being considered.
Rohit is the captain as well as the opener batsman and according to the information there was a discussion whether there is a need to send any player to England. Currently, Shubman Gill is available in the team as an opener. According to the Cricbuzz report, the final decision has not been taken yet, but Mayank Agarwal may be sent for the Test match between July 1-5 in the next few days.
If the report comes negative, Rohit can join the team and play. There is no mandatory quarantine protocol in England regarding COVID. It all depends on the team protocol. The BCCI has said that the medical team is monitoring Rohit. Not much information is coming from England as Indian players are busy with their four-day warm-up match in Leicester.
It is believed that Rohit will be fit and will play in the Edgbaston Test. Mayank will be sent to England as a backup opener if Rohit has any fitness issues. The stand-in captain can also be announced at the last minute, if required. Its options are many. There is a discussion about the names of R Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Rishabh Pant and Cheteshwar Pujara.
Apart from this, let us also tell that the decision regarding the captaincy can be taken when the chief selector Chetan Sharma reaches the UK. He is currently in Dublin and will travel to the UK after the second and final T20 International against Ireland on 28 June. By then, the situation is expected to be clear regarding Rohit’s fitness. The other three selectors Sunil Joshi, Debasis Mohanty and Harvinder Singh are present in Bengaluru for the Ranji Trophy final, which concluded on Sunday (June 26). Madhya Pradesh became champion for the first time by defeating Mumbai.