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The unpredictable news of India skipper Rohit Sharma contracting the COVID-19 infection ahead of the Edgbaston Test against England has hit the Indian camp hard. While the designated vice-captain KL Rahul was already out of the game due to a groin injury, the captaincy role is creating much buzz among cricket enthusiasts. Amid the situation, Moeen Ali has opened up about his preference for the new leader.
The English all-rounder thinks former skipper Virat Kohli will be the perfect man for the job. However, Kohli willingly stepped out of the leadership role after the South Africa series. But according to Ali, as Kohli steered the previous games of the series and recorded two victories at Lord’s and Oval, he should take on the leadership duty again in the important fixture.
During an interview with Sports Today, Ali asserted, “It’s a tough one. Because Virat was the captain of the same series last year, I would probably give it to him, yeah, for this one game. But it’s obviously his call.”
But Ali is also aware of the fact that at this stage, Kohli only wishes to concentrate on his batting and perhaps won’t accept the challenging job again. On the other side, he also feels Kohli’s rich experience will be extremely helpful for India. “He probably won’t want to do it. He is happy and his mind is relaxed. But yeah, I think it’s a good idea. He has got the experience and it’s a big series for India,” Ali added.
If Rohit Sharma doesn’t feature in the game, Rishabh Pant and Jasprit Bumrah may be the expected contenders for the captain’s seat. Pant has led the young Indian unit during the recent T20I series against South Africa and Jasprit Bumrah was the vice-captain for the ODI series during the South Africa tour earlier this year. With the risk of Sharma’s unavailability, the selectors are also getting concerned about finding the right partner for Subhuman Gill in the opening pair.
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