Rohit would ‘love’ to play Test series against Pakistan in neutral venue
Bilateral cricket between India and Pakistan has been put on hold since Misbah-ul-Haq’s team last toured India to play a three-match ODI series way back in 2012-13.
Bilateral cricket between India and Pakistan has been put on hold since Misbah-ul-Haq’s team last toured India to play a three-match ODI series way back in 2012-13.
All eyes will be on the legendary MS Dhoni in what could be his final game at the iconic Wankhede Stadium, where many moons back, he hit the winning six for India to clinch the 2011 ODI World Cup trophy.
Following the family emergency, Ashwin made a roaring comeback and capped off the Test series with a historic feat by registering the most number of five-wicket hauls for India in the history of Test cricket.
The biggest positives from the series could be the emergence of young guns like Yashasvi Jaiswal, scoring in excess of 700 runs, Sarfaraz Khan bludgeoning his way to the side with half centuries, and Dhruv Jurel – the young Uttar Pradesh stumper, who was picked with an experience of just 15 first-class matches.
The unavailability of star players like Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, and Mohammed Shami has in a way put the onus on the younger players to prove themselves on the big stage and in a way stake their claim in the side.
Sharma missed the ongoing rescheduled fifth Test against England in Edgbaston after he tested positive during the four-day warm-up game against Leicestershire.
Rohit, who has been ruled out of the Edgbaston Test, starting on Friday, after testing Covid-19 positive, is expected to recover and be fit for the white ball series, beginning on July 7 in Southampton. So he has been named as the skipper for both T20I and ODI series.
The 35-year old Sharma tested positive on the second day of the warm-up match in Leicester last week and is currently serving the five-day isolation as recommended by the UK government.
India leads the five-match Test series 2-1, and a win or even a draw would help them seal the series, but a loss would be disastrous given the upcoming busy season and the crucial World Test Championship (WTC) points at stake.
Agarwal, 31, had initially been left out of India's squad for the Edgbaston Test named in May this year. But a right groin injury to K.L Rahul, which ruled him out of the home T20I series against South Africa in June and Sharma's availability in doubt due to testing positive for Covid-19 means that Agarwal is now on his way to Birmingham to join the Test squad.