IND vs ENG: 'Right Candidate' - Rohit Sharma Reportedly Backed to Continue as Team India Test Captain

Rohit Sharma is reportedly being backed to continue in his role as Team India's Test captain despite the recent poor run of results and form in red ball cricket, leading to calls for his retirment from the longest format.

Rohit had overseen one of the lowest periods for India in Test cricket, starting with home series loss against New Zealand followed by the Border-Gavaskar Trophy surrender Down Under in Australia, where he managed to score just 31 runs in 3 matches.

The struggle for runs resulted in him opting out of the final Test in Sydney with reports suggesting the Indian skipper may have played his last game in the format as Jasprit Bumrah, who led the side in his absence, was backed to takeover the role on a full time basis.

Apart from Bumrah, there was even talk of former captain Virat Kohli returning to the role. But, recent report from the Indian Express states that Rohit has got all the backing to continue in the role following the team's success in the Champions Trophy under his leadership.

Under Rohit's captaincy, the team won all the matches in the recently concluded ICC event to clinch the title with a victory over New Zealand in the final. The 37-year-old also dismissed speculation of his retirement from ODI cricket. Rohit has already retired from T20I following last year's World Cup triumph.

Now, a report from the Indian Express may have also put to bed the rumours of his Test retirement. The report suggests that the Champions Trophy win has extended Rohit's career with BCCI backing him when it comes to captaincy.

"He has shown what he can do. Every stakeholder feels that he is the right candidate to lead the Indian side for the tour of England. Rohit too has expressed his eagerness to keep playing red-ball cricket," a source told the Indian Express.

As per the report, Rohit will lead the team in their first assignment post the two-month Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, when Team India travel to England for a five-match Test series to kick start their next World Test Championship (WTC) cycle.