Virat Kohli To Be Rested For 1st Test vs New Zealand, Rohit Sharma Likely To Lead Test Team - Reports

Indian skipper Virat Kohli is all set to take a long break starting soon and will most likely miss the upcoming first Test against New Zealand. In his stead, Rohit Sharma will reportedly be taking over the reins as the Test captain.

In addition, the vice-captain of the Test team, Ajinkya Rahane, might be given a longer rope despite a miserable tour of England earlier this year. He is expected to continue as the deputy and will be assisting Rohit in the first Test before Kohli’s expected return.

“Please do not read much into Virat resting for the initial matches. He’ll be back to captain the team from the second Test. The Test team is his and he’s done phenomenally well,” a source in the know of development was quoted as saying by TOI.

Rohit Sharma all but guaranteed to become T20I skipper under Rahul Dravid

Newly appointed Team India head coach, Rahul Dravid, has favored the appointment of Rohit Sharma as the skipper for the shortest format. With Kohli’s decision to step down as the T20I skipper in order to focus on his workload, Rohit is the likeliest candidate at least for the next couple of years.

Also, the decision for the ODI captaincy will not be taken now as the BCCI is reportedly ignoring the format since it isn’t relevant. Against New Zealand, India will play only T20Is and two Tests, which will be part of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2021-23 cycle.

Following the series against New Zealand, India will head out to South Africa in an all-important assignment. They will play three Tests, three ODI’s, and four T20Is beginning from the third week of December. If India manages to defeat the Proteas in the Test series, they would have won consecutive Test series in Australia, England (tentatively), and South Africa.

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