New Test Captain for India after ICC WTC Final, Rohit Sharma to face acid test
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IND vs BAN: Rohit Sharma recovered from his thumb injury, likely to be available for 2nd Test against Bangladesh: In an encouraging development, Indian captain Rohit Sharma is reported to be fit for the second Test match against Bangladesh which starts on December 22 in Mirpur. As per the reports, Rohit has completed his rehab and will rejoin the Indian squad ahead of the final test.

The Indian skipper suffered a finger dislocation injury while fielding during the 2nd ODI against Bangladesh in Dhaka. He went for immediate scans and was subsequently ruled out of the rest of the ODI series and he headed back to Mumbai for an expert opinion after the match. Despite having an injured left thumb, Rohit came to bat late down the order to rescue team India in the 2nd ODI, however, his lion-hearted efforts went in vain as Bangladesh registered a five-run win over India.

Owing to the injury, Sharma missed the final ODI as well as the opening test at Chattogram. However, the reports confirm that he will be available for the 2nd Test in Mirpur.

Notably, in Rohit’s absence, KL Rahul stepped up and fulfilled the leadership duties in the Indian setup. The management had drafted in Abhimanyu Eshwaran as Rohit’s replacement for the 1st test.

The 35-year-old cricketer is currently at National Cricket Academy (NCA). He underwent a necessary fitness assessment test and reportedly passed it. Although he didn’t bat for a longer duration, he instead had two short physio sessions.

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“Rohit is fine now. He has healed in time. The stitches have come out. We did not want to rush things. But he is certainly better and the physios have given him clearance for the 2nd Test. He will travel back to Bangladesh in a day or two,” a senior BCCI official told InsideSport.

Notably, if Rohit Sharma plays the second test against Bangladesh, it will be his first test assignment outside India as the test captain. He was set to lead India in the rescheduled one-off test against England, earlier this year, but missed it due to covid infection.

It will be a tricky conundrum for the Indian coach and captain as to whom Rohit would replace in the playing11 for the 2nd Test. It will be interesting to see how the Indian playing11 looks once Rohit Sharma gets back to the side.

The second test between India and Bangladesh will begin on 22nd December in Shere Bangla National Stadium, Dhaka. Team India has won the first test by 188 runs. It took India roughly 50 minutes of play on day five to wrap up the formalities and bag the winning points of the 1st test.

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