It’s finally official: Rohit Sharma, India's 'Hitman' new Test skipper

Rohit Sharma was on Saturday appointed the new Test captain of the Indian team as selectors initiated the transition phase by dropping struggling veterans Ajinkya Rahane, Cheteshwar Pujara, Wriddhiman Saha and Ishant Sharma for the Sri Lanka series.

On Saturday, chairman of selectors Chetan Sharma made it clear that “Rohit was the unanimous choice” and will be the bridge between the new and old in the current set-up as they groom three potential captaincy materials in KL Rahul, Jasprit Bumrah and Rishabh Pant. All three have led or been deputy at some point. The Sri Lanka Tests series, starting March 4, will also mark comeback of all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, who has recovered from a knee injury.

Shubman Gill too has recovered from shin stress fracture. Washington Sundar and KL Rahul are nursing their hamstrings before start of Indian Premier League. Kuldeep Yadav, who was dumped by Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri, has been brought back from the cold as he made his return into Test team. Sanju Samson’s start-stop international career got a lifeline in the T20s against Sri Lanka. Pant along with Virat Kohli has been rested while rookie left-arm spinner from Uttar Pradesh Saurabh Kumar made his maiden entry into Test side.

Rohit the only choice
“Rohit Sharma is number one cricketer of our country and the most important thing is that he is playing all the three formats,” Sharma made it clear that he was the “unanimous choice” and there was no discussion about any other names.

Veteran quartet were told in SA that they won’t be picked for Lanka Tests
Sharma tried to soften the blow about exclusion of Pujara, Rahane, Saha and Ishant but if one looks at Indian team’s Test calender for the year 2022, there is hardly any c h a n c e for these four of making a comeback.

Kohli & Rishabh get bio-bubble break for 4 T20Is
The BCCI has given Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant a 10-day break, following which they left the Indian team’s biobubble for their respective homes before Sunday’s third T20 international against the West Indies in Kolkata.

‘You need to ask Hardik why he is not playing Ranji’
Chairman of selection committee Chetan Sharma on Saturday made it crystal clear that all-rounder Hardik Pandya would be considered only when he is 100 percent fit and but is also unaware as to why colourful Baroda man is skipping Ranji Trohy which could have tested his fitness.The Baroda player Hardik had decided to skip the Ranji Trophy , which began on February 17, to focus on his India comeback in white-ball cricket. Asked about why Pandya was skipping Ranji Trophy, Sharma said, “If somebody does not want to play, the selection committee does not interfere, in the state matters.

India Test squad: Rohit Sharma (C), Mayank Agarwal, Priyank Panchal, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Hanuma Vihari, Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, KS Bharat, R Ashwin (fitness), Ravi Jadeja, Jayant Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Mohammad Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Saurabh Kumar.

India T20 squad: Rohit Sharma (C), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Venkatesh Iyer, Deepak Hooda, Jasprit Bumrah (vc), Bhuveshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel, Mohammad Siraj, Sanju Samson, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan