Rohit Sharma’s decision to quit Test cricket could have been largely influenced by an impromptu meeting of the national selection committee, led by Ajit Agarkar, at the Cricket Centre in Mumbai on Tuesday evening.
The five-member panel’s conclave coincided with the inauguration of the Sachin Tendulkar room and Sunil Gavaskar room at the BCCI headquarters inside the Wankhede Stadium premises. BCCI president RogerBinny and secretary Devajit Saikia were also present on the occasion.
Rohit’s email to the BCCI brass is understood to have taken everyone by surprise on Wednesday evening, including the selectors.
While the selectors were planning to talk to Rohit much before the squad was due to be announced, their deliberations had focused on the need to have a captain for allthe five Test matches in England. They didn’t wish to have a situation where different captains had to be put in charge in England.
Sources told The Telegraph that Rohit must have got a hint about what had transpired at the meeting — that he was no longer a unanimous choice for the Test captaincy. This is believed to have triggered his impulse to quit the format without even talking to the Board.
Rohit’s sudden call has forced the selectors to deliberate on who could succeed the T20 World Cup and Champions Trophy-winning captain in the longer format.
Shubman Gill is tipped to be the frontrunner after Jasprit Bumrah is believed to be not too interested in taking over the leadership role. His dodgy lower back and fitness issues have put a lot of uncertainty on his workload during the next World Test Championship cycle which beginsin England.
Bumrah had been the designated vice-captain on the tour of Australia when Rohit missed out on the firstand final Tests.
KL Rahul’s name is also learnt to have been doing the rounds but Gill, 25, has got the backing of the BCCI brass because of his leadership acumen and decent record with the bat. His batting record in England though is hardly inspiring — an average of 14.66 in three Tests.
The powers-that-be are harping on a long-term perspective and the Gujarat Titans captain perfectly fits the bill. He had been appointed Rohit’s deputy in ODIs before the Champions Trophy.
In a social media post on Wednesday, Gill spoke about Rohit being an “inspiration” for him.
“India is grateful for what you have done in tests as a player and a captain,” Gill wrote in an Instagram post. “You’ve been an absolute inspiration to me and everyone that has played with or against you. There are things that I’ve learnt from you that I am going to remember forever.
“Happy retirement to @rohitsharma45 one of the best captains that I’ve played under. Thank you Cap!”
The vice-captaincy race could also get intense with the BCCI not keen on Rishabh Pant for his indifferent form. With the accent being on youth, Yashasvi Jaiswal could be the dark horse.