Despite a lean patch in red-ball cricket, Rohit Sharma is set to retain his place as India's Test captain for the upcoming five-match series in England. According to a Times of India report, the BCCI has shortlisted the veteran opener in a pool of 35 players ahead of the England tour, signalling that the board is not yet ready to move on from his leadership. “Rohit is most likely to travel as the board feels that one needs a strong captain through the series, which is likely to be as tough as the Australia tour,” a BCCI source told to TOI. Rohit had a difficult run in Tests between September 2024 and January 2025, scoring just 155 runs in 13 innings at an average of 10.93. The poor form included a forgettable series in Australia, where he managed only 31 runs across five innings. Despite these struggles, the BCCI appears to be backing experience over experimentation, especially on a challenging overseas tour that marks the beginning of India’s 2025–27 World Test Championship cycle. India looks to rebuild the middle order While Rohit is expected to lead the side, the selectors are reportedly looking at fresh options for the middle order. Also READ: Nat Sciver-Brunt replaces Heather Knight as England Women’s captain With uncertainty around Shreyas Iyer’s Test future and limited confidence in Sarfaraz Khan, the focus has shifted to Rajat Patidar and Karun Nair, both of whom are likely to feature in the India A games before the Test series begins. “The team management has shown very little confidence in Sarfaraz Khan’s ability. Nair and Patidar are seasoned red-ball players and are in fine form. It is likely that at least one of them will be in the India A team,” the source added. Meanwhile, Sai Sudharsan, on the back of his excellent IPL form, is being considered as a backup opener behind Rohit and Yashasvi Jaiswal. Kuldeep Yadav is also expected to play a key role as India transitions away from the recently retired Ravichandran Ashwin. However, Axar Patel and Shreyas Iyer have reportedly not made the shortlist. With Mohammed Siraj also under scrutiny for his recent performances, the selectors may ask a few Test regulars to regain rhythm through India A games. The squads for both tours are expected to be announced by the second week of May, with the first Test set to begin on June 20 at Headingley.