Rohit Sharma named India’s captain for two-Test series against Sri Lanka; Jasprit Bumrah named his deputy

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) named Rohit Sharma the captain for the upcoming two-Test series against Sri Lanka.

The Indian opener has already been leading the side in the limited-overs format and chief selector Chetan Sharma insisted that Rohit will lead the Test team whenever he is fit and is not recommended for rest by the medical staff.

Rohit was named the skipper following the resignation of Virat Kohli as captain in the longest format last month. The 33-year-old had stepped down as Test captain following a series loss on the tour of South Africa.

Rohit, meanwhile, will be making a return to Tests after over five months, having last donned the whites in September during the away series in England. He was included in the Test side for the South Africa tour but was forced to miss the series due to a hamstring injury.

The Indian opener had made a bright start to his full-time captaincy role in limited-overs, securing a 3-0 clean sweep win against New Zealand in November. Earlier this month, Rohit led the side to another clean-sweep series victory in ODIs against the West Indies.

India’s senior batters Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara, meanwhile, were dropped from the team for the Sri Lanka series. Chief selector Sharma insisted that there had been conversations with both players regarding their places in the side and they have been asked to regain form in the Ranji Trophy.

Among bowlers, Ishant Sharma is a notable absentee in the squad.

In addition to Rohit being named the Test captain, fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah will play the role of his deputy. Bumrah had earlier played in a similar role during the second Test of the series against South Africa, when then-captain Kohli was forced to miss the game due to a back spasm.

The first Test of the series against Sri Lanka will take place between March 4-8 in Mohali. Bengaluru will host the second and final Test of the series, which will be a day/night affair.

India’s Test team for the series against Sri Lanka: Rohit Sharma (c), Mayank Agarwal, Priyank Panchal, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Hanuma Vihari, Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant (wk), KS Bharat (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin (subject to fitness), Ravindra Jadeja, Jayant Yadav, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah (v.c.), Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Saurabh Kumar.