India are set to tour Australia for three ODIs, three T20Is followed by the all-important Border-Gavaskar trophy. But as far as the four-match Test series is concerned. India will likely have to deal with two big blows as both Rohit Sharma and Ishant Sharma might miss out on the Test series completely.
Both Rohit Sharma and Ishant Sharma got injured at different times during the IPL 2020 season. While Ishant was ruled out of the tournament, Rohit sat out a few games but made a comeback before the playoffs and led Mumbai Indians to their fifth IPL title. He was then asked to go to the NCA and regain full fitness before the all-important Test series. It was learnt that the BCCI had not communicated well with the Indian team management about the exact fitness situation of both Rohit Sharma and Ishant Sharma. That is why coach Ravi Shastri stated that they needed to be on the flight to Australia in the next four-five days to not miss a single Test.
“He (Rohit) was never going to play the white-ball series, they were just looking to see how long he needed the rest, because you can’t afford to be resting for too long. If you need to play in the Test series or any red-ball cricket, you’ve got to be on the flight in the next three or four days. If you aren’t, then it’s going to be tough,” Shastri told ABC Sports.
“It’s a similar case (Ishant’s injury) to Rohit. You don’t really know how quickly he’ll be available to fly out. Like I said, if anyone has to play in the Test series, he has to be on the flight in the next four or five days. Otherwise, it’s very difficult,” he further added.
Latest rehab reports of Rohit Sharma, Ishant Shama not encouraging
However, according to reports, it is now understood that the latest rehab reports of both Rohit Sharma and Ishant Sharma have not been encouraging and the duo could miss the tour of Australia completely. While BCCI have not officially informed the team management, an official announcement is expected soon. With Shreyas Iyer already serving his 14-day quarantine period and a part of the white-ball squad, Indian team management are likely to ask for him as a cover in Test series.
