Rohit Sharma named captain for Sri Lanka Test series; Ajinkya Rahane, Cheteshwar Pujara dropped

Opener Rohit Sharma, who is already leading the Indian side in the white-ball format, was on February 19 named as the captain for the upcoming two-match Test series against Sri Lanka.

Middle-order batters Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara have been dropped from the side, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said. The two players are currently part of the ongoing Ranji Trophy, the premier domestic cricket tournament.

Speculations were rife that Rahane and Pujara could be dropped, as their performance came under criticism during the recently played Test series in South Africa. The Proteas had scored a 2-1 victory in the three-match series played in December-January.

Following the rout, Virat Kohli, the then Indian Test captain, decided to step down from his role. He had already relinquished his T20I captaincy in October citing workload pressure, and was replaced with Sharma as the ODI skipper in December.

Pacer Jasprit Bumrah, who was announced as the vice captain during the Test series in South Africa, will continue with the role during the upcoming bout against Sri Lanka.

The two Test matches against Sri Lanka will be played from March 4-8 and March 12-16 in Mohali and Bengaluru, respectively.

The series against the southern neighbours will be the first major test for Sharma as a captain in the game's longest format.

Earlier, he began his stint as the T20 skipper with a 3-0 clean sweep victory against New Zealand in November. Earlier this week, the Indian team under his leadership scored another 3-0 victory in the T20 series against the visiting West Indies side.