Rohit Sharma unlikely to be named: Captaining the Indian team in the Asia Cup, Rohit Sharma is likely to sit out in Test cricket.
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Rohit Sharma, India’s stand-in captain and opener in the limited-overs format, is all in likeliness of continuing to sit out of the Test team. The Indian squad for the series against West Indies might be announced anytime tomorrow or the day after tomorrow.
According to reports in The Indian Express, selectors are at odds with Sharma being preferred over other option in the Test team.
Talking about his current form, Sharma has scored 269 runs in four matches at an average of 134.50 and a strike rate of 94.71 in the ongoing Asia Cup. With India set to play the final against Bangladesh tomorrow, the team would be expecting Sharma to provide a solid start along with his reliable opening partner Shikhar Dhawan.
Having made his Test debut six years after his debut in the limited-overs format for India, Sharma became the highest run-scorer in his debut series, scoring 288 runs in two matches at an average of 288 and a strike rate of 67.28.
However, an overseas average of 25.35 (710 runs in 16 matches) went against him over the years. Having scored a century and a couple of half-centuries in the home series against Sri Lanka last year, Sharma was included in the squad for South Africa earlier this year. Sharma was given the go ahead of Ajinkya Rahane in the first two matches, but with scores of 11, 10, 10 and 47 in four innings, he was once again dropped from the team.
According to the same report, opening batsman Shikhar Dhawan is also on lines of being dropped form the Test squad. Dhawan, who is also in a prolific form in ODIs, might not get a chance of playing in the Test squad on the basis of his ODI runs.
Ahead of the final of the Asia Cup, Sharma was seen training hard in the gym yesterday. Watch the full video:
