- Mar 4, 2024
- May 20, 2023
Fast Bowler Jasprit Bumrah will lead India in the fifth Test match against England, while Rishabh Pant will be the vice-captain of the team. There were clouds of uncertainty looming large on Rohit Sharma’s availability for the Test ever since he tested positive for covid -19 during the warm-up game against Leicestershire.
Jasprit Bumrah will become the first fast bowler to captain India after 35 years. Kapil Dev lead an Indian team way back in 1987. Before Bumrah, the last time the Indian team was captained by a bowler was in 2008 when Anil Kumble led India in a Test match.
Ever since the news of Rohit Sharma getting Covid came out, fans were eagerly waiting for the official announcement for the captain of the team. Bumrah and Pant were front-runners for the captaincy spot after KL Rahul and Rohit were out of contention. Some fans even wanted Virat to have the captaincy role as he captained the team last year.
The Indian cricket board tweeted at 6:28 pm IST to announce the captain and the vice-captain for the rescheduled Test.
India are leading the series by 2-1 and are on the verge of making history in England by winning their fourth Test series on the English soil. They last won a series in 2007 under the leadership of the current coach Rahul Dravid by the margin of 1-0. A win or a draw in the fifth Test could seal the series for India.
The fifth Test of the series was originally supposed to be held at Old Trafford, Manchester last year but couldn’t get underway due to the Covid outbreak in the Indian camp.
Meanwhile, England have announced their playing XI for the Test, making two changes to the team that played against New Zealand in the third Test. James Anderson makes a comeback to the team in place of Jamie Overton. Ben Foakes also misses out as he was tested positive for Covid 19 during the New Zealand Test. Sam Billings will be keeping the wickets in place of Foakes.