KL Rahul likely to replace injured Rohit Sharma as captain for Bangladesh Test series

Team India skipper Rohit Sharma’s participation in the Test series against Bangladesh remains doubtful as the 35-year-old faces a race against time to be fit for the 2-match Test series that begins on December 14. The first Test between India and Bangladesh will be played at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chittagong from December 14-18. 

Rohit injured himself while playing in the second ODI in Mirpur on Wednesday. He was trying to take a catch when the Indian skipper injured himself as his left thumb appeared bloodied. 

Afterwards, Rohit was taken to the hospital to undergo scans on his hand, and KL Rahul took over as captain. The 29-year-old is in line to captain the Men in Blue, should Rohit not recover in time for the two Tests. 

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It is imperative for Team India to win the two Test matches, to reach the final of World Test Championship final 2023, as the Men in Blue only have six matches remaining, and they are currently in fourth place. 

The two Tests against Bangladesh, followed by four Test matches against Australia at home next year are the final fixture remaining for India in WTC 2023 cycle. 

Head coach Rahul Dravid confirmed that Rohit is ruled out of the 3rd ODI against Bangladesh in Dhaka in his post-match press conference after India’s defeat on Wednesday. He also revealed that the Indian opener will travel to Mumbai to see an expert for his thumb injury. 

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Despite the issue, the ‘Hitman’ came out to bat in the 2nd ODI and smashed a fifty taking India within touching distance of the win, but eventually, they lost by five runs. 

Thus, Rahul, the vice-captain could once again fill in the shoes of Rohit during the Test series, and most likely in the next ODI as well. Apart from Rohit, Ravindra Jadeja and Mohammed Shami are also likely to be ruled out of the Test series, with Saurabh Kumar and Navdeep Saini in line to replace the duo.