IND vs AUS 2020: Virat Kohli laments lack of clarity on Rohit Sharma's injury
India captain Virat Kohli is not happy with the way the Rohit Sharma situation has been handled by the powers that be. Speaking during a press conference on the eve of the eagerly awaited India vs Australia series, Virat Kohli complained that the team did not get enough information on why the opener was not allowed to Australia with the rest of the India squad, despite being fit to play in the 2020 IPL play-offs in the UAE.
Rohit Sharma was initially not named in the India squad for the Australia tour. After Virat Kohli decided to leave the tour after the first Test, he was added to the Test squad, with the selectors saying that he is being rested for the limited-overs leg.
However, Virat Kohli is far from pleased with the way the situation was handled, and the lack of clarity provided by those in charge.
"Before we had the selection meeting in Dubai, we got a mail two days before that said he [Rohit] is unavailable for selection and that he picked up an injury during the IPL. After that he played in the IPL, so we thought that he is going to be on that flight to Australia which he wasn't. We had no information whatsoever on the reason why he is not travelling with us," Kohli said.
"The only other information we have received officially that he is at the NCA and he will be further assessed on December 11. From that selection meeting to IPL finishing till the last e-mail, there has been no information, lack of clarity and we have been playing the waiting game on this issue for a while, which is not ideal at all. It has been confusing," he added.
Virat Kohli also said that it would have been better if Ishant Sharma and Rohit Sharma could have been with the team while doing their rehab, as right now it is unclear whether they will be able to feature in the tour.
"There is so much uncertainty on whether they are going to make it, if they are going to make it at all or not. It would have been helpful in them getting fit if they were here and doing the rehab, just like how Saha is," Virat Kohli said.
Virat Kohli: Being a father a special moment in life
The India captain also spoke about his own decision to leave the tour after the first of the four-Test matches. Virat Kohli said that he had decided to leave Australia after the first Test before the squad was announced.
"The decision was made before we had the selection meeting. I had told the selectors that I would fly back after the first Test as we have a quarantine period both ways. I wanted to be back home in time to be with my wife for the birth of our first child. It is a special and beautiful moment in my life."