IND v AUS 2020: 'Virat Kohli should always be in the loop,' Gautam Gambhir slams BCCI on Rohit Sharma's injury saga
Gautam Gambhir has slammed the BCCI and the selectors for not keeping Virat Kohli acquainted with Rohit Sharma's fitness situation.
Gautam Gambhir backed Kohli on the lack of clarity surrounding the injury saga. He opined that being the captain, Kohli is the one who faces criticism when something goes wrong, and should always know what's happening with his players.
“That’s not right. You have to back Virat Kohli on this. He’s the captain, he’s the guy who is leading on the cricket field. He’s the guy who is going to face the criticism. He’s the guy who has got to face all the fire. So he should be always there in the mix. He should know exactly what’s happening with all the players,” Gautam Gambhir told ESPNcricinfo.
Rohit Sharma and pacer Ishant Sharma were both excluded from all the original squads to the tour of Australia due to the injuries they suffered in the IPL 2020. Rohit was later added to the Test squad but has failed to recover in time to leave for the tour.
Gautam Gambhir blasts BCCI selectors, chairman
Kohli had recently lamented the lack of clarity, saying the situation is confusing and not ideal. The skipper also said that it would have been better if Rohit could have done his rehab with the team rather than in India. Now, Gautam Gambhir has come out in his support.
“And that is the responsibility of the selectors, that is the responsibility of probably the chairman as well. Virat Kohli should always be in the loop because he is the flagbearer of Indian cricket at the moment. If something goes wrong, we end up criticizing the captain a lot” Gautam Gambhir added.
It is being reported that Rohit will undergo a fitness test on 11th December and the future course of action will be decided based on the results. Even if he does clear the test, Rohit Sharma will have to go through a mandatory quarantine in Australia. Therefore, he is almost certain to miss the first two Test matches of the Border-Gavaskar series.
Rohit currently holds the record of most centuries (4) in ODIs against Australia in their den. India has stepped onto the field without him in the first ODI on Friday and will be without his services in the next two games on 29th November and 2nd December as well.