ENG vs IND: India skipper Rohit Sharma in isolation after testing positive for COVID-19

India have been dealt with a huge blow ahead of the upcoming rescheduled fifth Test against England. Their skipper Rohit Sharma has tested positive for COVID-19 in the latest Rapid Antigen Test and is currently in isolation. He didn’t bat in the second innings of the ongoing four-day warm-up game against Leicestershire as well. His participation in the Birmingham Test is now under serious doubt with only six days to go for the game to commence.

BCCI confirmed the development in an official press release in the early hours of Sunday (June 26). He has been kept under observation of BCCI’s medical team at the moment and is isolating in the team hotel. An RT-PCR test will be conducted on him now to ascertain his CT value.

Rohit Sharma is the second-highest run-scorer of the series at the moment having amassed 368 runs at an average of 52.57 and the visitors will be certainly in trouble if he misses the Test match. India currently lead the five-match series 2-1 and have a chance to win their first Test series in England since 2007.

Who will lead India in the fifth Test?

A lot has changed in Indian cricket in terms of leadership since the fifth and final Test of the series was postponed last year. Virat Kohli is no more the captain of the team and with Rohit Sharma likely to miss the game, it remains to be seen who will lead the team in the crucial Test. KL Rahul had led the side in South Africa when the then skipper Kohli had missed the second Test of the series. But even Rahul is ruled out of this encounter due to an injury.

Among other players, Jasprit Bumrah was named vice-captain of the team once while Rishabh Pant led team India in the T20I series against South Africa at home. Hardik Pandya, meanwhile, will lead the country for the first time in Ireland on Sunday (June 26) in a T20I but he is not the part of the Test set up as of now.