Rohit Sharma's England Test future hanging in the balance; Central Contracts meeting to determine fate

India National Cricket Team skipper Rohit Sharma has taken a bold call related to his future in Test cricket. As per the reports in India Today, it is learned that the opening batter has decided to opt out of the upcoming five-match Test series against England.

The reports claimed that Rohit Sharma has taken the decision in the interest of the team, especially after the kind of outing he had in the Test series against Australia. The India captain did the same in the last game of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 when he allowed Shubman Gill to play in his place and let Jasprit Bumrah be captain.

Rohit Sharma had a horrible outing in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25

Rohit Sharma had a horrible outing in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. He missed the first game in Perth due to the birth of his second child. And in his absence, India went on to win the game. But the arrival of the skipper back to the team didn't do any good.

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Rohit Sharma managed just 31 runs at an average of 6.20 as India went on to lose the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 by a margin of 3-1. Not only this, but the team also failed to qualify for the final of the ICC World Test Championship, for which they looked like favorites after the Bangladesh series.

BCCI will soon be deciding on the next Test captain

With Rohit Sharma pulling out of the England Test series, this could well be a hint that he has decided to hang up his boots in the longest format of the game. It remains to be seen if he will make any official announcement related to the same.

The BCCI will soon be deciding on the next Test captain as well. BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia and other stakeholders will meet on Saturday, 29th March, in Guwahati for the meeting. During that, the call will be taken related to the captaincy in the longest format.

Virat Kohli is all set to retain his place in the team for the England Tests

The reports in India today also claimed that Virat Kohli is all set to retain his place in the team for the England Tests. The senior batter also didn't have a great outing in Australia. He slammed a ton in his first game and then, after that, amassed just 90 runs in the next four games.

Virat Kohli, in the last few years, hasn't looked his best in Test cricket. This has seen his average go down as well. The series in England will be extremely crucial for him, especially with his place in the team under scrutiny for a while. Hence, it could be a make-or-break series for him.

The Test series between England and India is all set to begin from June 20 with the opening Test at Headingley in Leeds. After that, the focus will move to Edgbaston, Lord’s, Old Trafford, and Kennington Oval. The series will also mark the new edition of the ICC World Test Championship.

Also read: Not Jasprit Bumrah! Ambati Rayudu picks the toughest bowler he’s ever faced in IPL history