Rohit Sharma crowned all-format captain

Rohit Sharma in place of Virat Kohli as India’s captain across all three formats is complete. As expected, India’s chief selector Chetan Sharma on Saturday named Rohit as India’s new Test captain — weeks after Kohli resigned following the series defeat in South Africa — while announcing the squads for the three T20Is against Sri Lanka and the two-Test series, against the same team, at home next month. The star opener was given the white-ball captaincy just a couple of months back. Sharma said that he considered Rohit Sharma the “No. 1 cricketer” in the country, making it clear that the batsman will lead the team when fit.

Pacer Jasprit Bumrah will be Rohit’s deputy in both the T20I and Test series. KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant and Bumrah will be groomed as future captains under the 34-year-old’s leadership, according to Chetan Sharma.

The selectors have finally run out of patience with the struggling Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane, whose poor form played a big part in India losing the Test series in South Africa. Both the senior batsmen have been dropped, along with two other veteran players in wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha and pacer Ishant Sharma.

While the chief selector revealed that all four have been asked to play in the Ranji Trophy to regain their form, it’s understood that this could be the end of the road for at least three of them. “They could’ve been out of the South Africa series as well, but the team management wanted them to continue that time,” a source revealed.

“We told them to go and play in the Ranji Trophy,” Chetan Sharma said. However, considering that Rahane was kept out despite scoring 129 against Saurashtra in the Ranji, the message to these four is loud and clear. “The best part is that they