While the Indian national cricket team is getting ready to restart their international cricket with the ODI series against Australia, the team management and Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is still unsure about the availability of Rohit Sharma and Ishant Sharma during the Test series in Australia tour. Moreover, confusions are growing up on their fitness status with time progress. Now, according to TOI, the BCCI has clarified that Rohit and Ishant were never in the contention for Australia tour.
India will restart their international cricket with the three-match ODI series against the hosts Australia on this Friday (27th November). Then they will play the three-match T20I series against the home side. After the conclusion of these limited-overs series, India will play the four-match Test series against the home team Australia, which will also be the part of the inaugural ICC World Test Championship. This Test series will run between 17th December 2020 and 19th January 2021.
While the BCCI announced the complete Indian squad for the Australia tour in late October, Rohit Sharma and Ishant Sharma were not included in that complete squad as both were recovering from their respective injuries, which they received during the IPL 2020.
Later, when Rohit returned to lead his IPL team Mumbai Indians (MI), who ultimately won the IPL 2020 under his captaincy, the BCCI included him in the Test squad for the Australia tour. But still, there is no confirmation about the availability of Rohit Sharma in the forthcoming Test series against the hosts Australia.
Like the tall right-arm pacer Ishant Sharma, Rohit is currently also busy at National Cricket Academy (NCA) to prove his fitness. While the Indian captain Virat Kohli will miss the last three Tests in the Australia tour due to paternity leave, Rohit’s fitness news is getting more important.
Though Ishant Sharma was not added in the Test squad for the Australia tour as he still had to prove his fitness, there was similar kind of confusion about his availability in the upcoming away Test series.
Rohit Sharma and Ishant Sharma were anyways not part of the squad
As time is running out, it is becoming tougher to assume the presence of Rohit Sharma and Ishant Sharma in the forthcoming Test series. Now, the BCCI has claimed that Rohit and Ishant were never a part of the squad for this Australia tour.
According to TOI, the BCCI said, “Rohit and Ishant were anyways not part of the squad. An 18-member team was announced for the four Tests. Now that Virat (Kohli) is returning, we’re hoping Shreyas Iyer will stay back for the series.”
The TOI report has further added that Rohit’s fitness status will be known after his fitness test on 11th December. But still, the 14-day quarantine rule in Australia will ultimately make it difficult for Rohit to make himself available for the Test series in Australia.
The BCCI sources, who are tracking developments, clarified, “But the problem is that there’s a 14-day mandatory state quarantine in Australia. Even if he is allowed to travel on the 12th, how will he fly? There are no commercial flights. And even if he manages to fly, he has to undergo the two-week solitary quarantine. When will he be available, subject to fitness. We all knew he was never going to fly.”
Talking about the earlier news of Rohit and Ishant’s travelling chance to Australia, the sources added that those were only misinformation.