2017 Champions Trophy: Rohit Sharma Returns But Yuvraj Not Sure For Bangladesh Match
Nov 2, 2023 at 3:51 PM
Yuvraj Singh and Rohit Sharma missed India’s first Champions Trophy warm-up match, against New Zealand on Sunday. Yuvraj is down with viral fever, while Rohit will join the squad on Sunday. Rohit is expected to be ready for India’s second warm-up match against Bangladesh on May 30.
Yuvraj and Rohit were the only two players to miss the two training sessions India have had in the last two days: Friday, at Lord’s, and Saturday, at The Oval.
The BCCI sent out a medical update on Yuvraj, stating he was making “steady progress” after he woke up feeling crook on Friday morning. After undergoing tests, Yuvraj was advised rest.
“The BCCI Medical Team confirms that Indian allrounder Yuvraj Singh who is presently down with viral fever is making steady progress,” a media release said. “There are no major health concerns and he is recuperating well, to the satisfaction of the medical team.”
Rohit had got permission from the team management to attend a family wedding on Saturday. He was booked on a late night flight to join the team the next day.
During India’s successful Champions Trophy campaign in 2013, their then-captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni decided to promote Sharma up the order. One of the biggest reasons for India’s success was the Rohit Sharma-Shikhar Dhawan duo, who are again back to face the new ball in conditions, which will be pretty familiar to the one they encountered four years back. Though Yuvraj is not sure as he also needs a decent practice ahead of the game.
A rain-curtailed match might be a dampener for teams and fans, but on Sunday it threw up positives for India. They beat New Zealand by 45 runs (via Duckworth-Lewis Method) in a warm-up game to start the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 campaign on a positive note. The first gain for India was the three-wicket haul of Mohammed Shami, who is returning to the national ODI team after two years. The second was skipper Virat Kohli regaining confidence with an unbeaten half-century.
After two warm-up games, India will travel to Birmingham where they play Pakistan in their first match on June 4.