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Mayank Agarwal added to India squad for England Test as standby for Covid-hit Rohit Sharma
With Rohit Sharma down with Covid-19, Mayank Agarwal is expected to be a stand-by opener in case the India captain fails to recover in time.
Mayank Agarwal has been called up to join the India squad for the rescheduled fifth Test match against England in Edgbaston starting July 1. With Rohit Sharma down with Covid-19, Agarwal, who is believed to fly out today and join the rest of the squad, is expected to be a stand-by opener in case the India captain fails to recover in time, the BCCI announced on Monday.
"The All-India Senior Selection Committee has added Mayank Agarwal to India's Test squad for the rescheduled fifth Test as cover for captain Rohit Sharma, who tested positive for Covid-19. Mayank has left for the UK and will link up with the squad in Birmingham," it stated in a release.
With Rohit getting struck by Covid days ahead of the crucial Edgbaston Test and KL Rahul already nursing a groin injury, India are short of openers with only Shubman Gill available. If needed, Mayank can immediately be part of the Playing XI with no quarantine needed in England. Mayank last played for India in March during the two home Tests against Sri Lanka, where he scored 59 runs, and was not named in the original squad for the Edgbaston game. He has since turned up for Punjab Kings in the IPL 2022, and as captain scored 196 runs from 13 matches.
It has been learnt that the BCCI is not pressing the panic button just yet with Rohit's status for the match. With four full days left between now and the start of the Test, if Rohit returns a negative result upon being re-tested, he will feature in the series-deciding match in Birmingham. Rohit's illness has put the team in a bit of a spot as with him gone, India face two big questions - who opens with Gill and who captains.
While the addition of Agarwal solves one problem, who will take command of the team if Rohit is unfit remains to be seen. With Rahul out injured, there is no current vice-captain in the team but the two options that could emerge as frontrunners are Rishabh Pant and Jasprit Bumrah. In February, Bumrah was named vice-captain during the ODIs in South Africa and he could get the nod ahead of Pant if it comes down to it.
Whereas, there is also the possibility of former captain Virat Kohli leading the team in Rohit's absence, even though the chances of it happening are really slim. It was originally under Kohli that India played some stunning cricket last year in England to take a 2-1 lead, with wins at Lord's and Oval. Recently, a video of Kohli giving the Indian players a motivating pep talk ahead of the Leicestershire warm-up match, went viral, and with most of the squad remaining the same, it would only be fitting if Kohli leads Team India one final team.
