Indian captain Rohit Sharma is set to be removed from the top job in red-ball cricket ahead of the vital upcoming tour against England. The national will kickstart the new World Test Championship (WTC) cycle with a new leader whose first assignment will be to lead the team in the marquee five-match Test series against England starting from June 20.

As per a report by Indian Express, the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee has decided to move past the 38-year-old. The publication states that the move is not made through a desire for transition or moving past senior players but due to concerns over Rohit's performances in red-ball cricket.

There is still no clarity on whether Rohit will remain part of the squad as a player. The report states that Rohit will remain part of the team's plans in ODI cricket. The decision to move past Rohit as Test captain has come due to the selectors wanting to ensure the team do not face a situation like in Australia, where the star batter opted out of the fifth Test after a poor run of form that saw him score just 31 runs in six innings. With Rohit not being captain, it will allow the team to drop him from the playing XI during the series if he fails to find form.

The published information further states that the selectors want to groom a young captain for the new WTC cycle.

The 2023-25 cycle was the first time India failed to qualify for the final, which will be played between South Africa and Australia next month. The two-time runners-up were on course for a third final before the Rohit-led team were whitewashed at home by New Zealand before being beaten 3-1 in the Boreder-Gavaskar Trophy.

Rohit took charge as India's Test captain in 2022 after Virat Kohli's resignation and led the team in 24 matches in which he won 12 and lost nine with three draws.

It is unclear who will replace Rohit in the top job. While Jasprit Bumrah has been the vice-captain for a while, his fitness issues have put his escalation to captaincy in doubt.

With Rohit still the ODI captain, the move to move past him in Test cricket means that India will have a different captain in each format as Suryakumar Yadav is leading the national team in T20Is.

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