Rohit Sharma “clinically fit”, set to join Team India in Australia soon
Days after media reports suggested that Rohit Sharma was set to travel to Australia after receiving an all-clear from the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru, the BCCI has announced the same as well.
Rohit Sharma’s fitness struggles have been well-documented in recent weeks, with the batsman injuring his hamstring during this year’s Dream11 IPL 2020.
Rohit Sharma clears fitness test, set to fly to Australia soon
Declaring the decision on their website, the BCCI announced that Rohit Sharma is now “clinically fit” after having completed his rehabilitation process at the NCA. The 33-year-old has been training at the NCA since November 19, as he continued to recover from a high-grade left hamstring injury.
The BCCI revealed that the NCA medical team was satisfied with Rohit Sharma's physical fitness. The body disclosed that the opening batsman’s fitness was judged on a variety of metrics like running between the wickets, and batting and fielding skills.
Although Rohit Sharma has been passed fit in the official statement, the BCCI have said that the opener needs to work on his endurance.
What next for Rohit Sharma now?
While no information has been given about when Rohit Sharma will fly to Australia, the batsman will have to spend 14 days in quarantine according to Australian laws. The BCCI expounded that Rohit Sharma will be following a detailed programme for the duration of his quarantine.
Following the end of the 14-day-period, Rohit Sharma will be assessed by the Team India medical team to establish the batsman’s fitness status, following which a decision will be taken on the star batsman’s availability for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
When can fans see Rohit Sharma play the IND vs AUS 2020 series?
The Australian quarantine rules mean that even if Rohit Sharma manages to fly out as early as possible, the batsman will only feature from the 3rd Test. The first two Tests, scheduled to begin from December 17 and December 26 respectively, are likely to fall in Rohit Sharma’s quarantine period.
If the batsman manages to prove his fitness to the medical team, Rohit Sharma may even be in the starting eleven for the third Test which will take place in Sydney from January 7.
Rohit Sharma will now fight it out for an opening slot with Team India players Prithvi Shaw, Shubman Gill, KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal. If selected, this will be the Mumbai Indians captain’s first outing as a Test opener in Australian conditions.
The 33-year-old will be expected to become an integral part of the batting line-up and adjust to the foreign conditions quickly, particularly in light of skipper Virat Kohli’s absence after the first Test.