The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has appointed Rohit Sharma as India’s vice-captain for the remaining two Test matches against Australia. The dashing opener missed the previous fixtures due to a hamstring injury he sustained during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020. However, he recently joined the Indian team in Melbourne and replaced Cheteshwar Pujara as vice-captain. Apart from scoring runs with the bat, Rohit will also have additional responsibilities of being a vice-captain, and it will be interesting to see how the 33-year-old will accept the challenge. Rohit Sharma Gears Up for India vs Australia 3rd Test in Sydney With Catching Practice.

For the unversed, Ajinkya Rahane is the regular vice-captain of India’s Test team. However, he had to become the captain as regular skipper Virat Kohli flew back home after the first Test for the expected birth of his first child.  Rahane indeed did a brilliant job by guiding India to a memorable eight-wicket win the second Test. His morale would have enhanced even more as he has experienced player as a deputy in the form of Rohit. Should Rohit Sharma Replace Mayank Agarwal or Shubman Gill as Opener?

As Rohit has been promoted as vice-captain, his place in the Indian playing XI is all but inevitable. However, it will be interesting to see if the 33-year-old will open the batting or play in the middle order. Although Rohit boasts off a staggering record as Test opener, he’s yet to play an overseas Test at the top of the order.

Simultaneously, Shubman Gill had an impressive debut in the second Test and dropping him from that position will be a tough call. On the other hand, Mayank Agarwal has struggled so far but is expected to be backed due to his stellar Test record. Hence, the team management faces a great headache ahead of the third Test, which gets underway on January 7 at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG).

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 01, 2021 05:11 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).