Who is captaining India in the absence of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli: The visitors are currently being led by a third captain on this tour.
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During the fifth T20I of the ongoing India’s tour of New Zealand in Mount Maunganui, stand-in India captain Rohit Sharma hasn’t taken the field in the second innings after getting injured while batting in the first one.
Sharma, who came in to bat at No. 3 for the second time in his T20I career, scored his 21st half-century before succumbing to a calf injury. It was in the 17th over that Sharma eventually decided to walk-off after visible discomfort.
Having scored 60* (41) with the help of three fours and three sixes, Sharma top-scored for India after he won the toss and chose to bat.
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A clinical bowling effort from the hosts reduced India to 163/3 in their allotted quota of 20 overs. With bowling figures of 4-0-25-2, New Zealand pacer Scott Kuggeleijn was the pick of their bowlers. Apart from Kuggeleijn, Hamish Bennett also picked up a wicket.
Who is captaining India in the absence of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli?
In what seems more of a precautionary measure, Sharma not taking the field in the second innings required India to field a third captain on the tour.
It is worth mentioning that the onus of leading the team fell on wicket-keeper batsman Lokesh Rahul. Given the numerous roles that Rahul has played for India in white-ball cricket of late, captaining the side was perhaps the only thing left from his usual skills.
Having scored 224 runs in five T20Is at an average of 56 and a strike rate of 144.51 including two half-centuries, Rahul is currently the highest run-scorer in the series. This series has also seen the 27-year old player become the highest run-scorer for India in a bilateral T20I series.
