The Rohit Sharma Update- Indian coach Ravi Shastri on Wednesday issued a statement saying that opener Rohit Sharma’s inclusion in the squad for the third Test. He said that it will be dependent upon the way the Mumbai batsman ‘feels’. That is after the two-week quarantine he underwent at Sydney.
Mumbai Indians skipper Sharma joined the Indian team on Wednesday. BCCI’s video on Social Media showed how excited the team was to see the opener back.
Look who’s joined the squad in Melbourne ?
A warm welcome for @ImRo45 as he joins the team ?#TeamIndia #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/uw49uPkDvR
— BCCI (@BCCI) December 30, 2020
What Chief Coach Ravi Shastri Was Heard Asking Rohit Sharma In The Video?
“So how was your quarantine, my friend?”
Rohit was out with a hamstring injury he sustained during the Indian Premier League earlier this year. After missing a few IPL games for Mumbai Indians, the most successful skipper in the league played the final games. He put up a man of the match performance against Delhi Capitals in the finals.
However, he wasn’t included in India’s squad for the Australian tour, his participation in the Border-Gavaskar trophy kept subjective to his fitness. Sharma cleared the fitness and will now sit with the team over the New Year weekend, planning the strategy for a test match that could potentially win India the series.
Does Team India Really Need To Rush Rohit Sharma Back In?
When asked if Rohit Sharma will surely participate in the match, India’s head coach Ravi Shastri said, “Rohit joins the team tomorrow. We will have a chat with him to see where he is placed physically because he has been quarantined for a couple of weeks. We will have to see now how he feels before we take the call.”
This statement very well says that there is a bleak chance that the Mumbai-based player might not straightaway come in the squad. Sharma’s inclusion would be a boost to the side. That is, as there have been some lacunae to fill after skipper Virat Kohli left.
Also, Mohammed Shami got injured and Umesh Yadav had to leave the field during the last Test. With a solid opening pair currently seen as Rohit and Mayank Agarwal, India will have to either push Shubman Gill down the order. They would also have to exclude Hanuma Vihari or vice versa. Knowing skipper Rahane’s process, Mayank Agarwal could also see a let go.
What Ajinkya Rahane Said About The Inclusion Of The Opening Batsman?
The Indian white-ball deputy does have a praiseworthy record in Australia. That is with the “blue” jersey on. However, he will have to catch up speedily to adapt to the threat Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon pose with the red ball. The third Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground will be starting on January 7. It means there will be a significant gap for the momentum to lose away.
After winning the Second Test match by eight wickets in a dramatic fashion, Man of the Match and the Indian skipper Ajinkya Rahane had already confirmed Rohit Sharma coming back.
He said in a recent interview, “We are excited about Rohit coming back. Spoke to him yesterday, he is waiting to join the team.”
