The same day Rohit Sharma was not picked in any of India squads for the tour of Australia citing fitness concerns, the Mumbai Indians captain was pictured training for the ongoing IPL 2020. BCCI announced three separate squads for Australia tour on Monday night with Rohit and Ishant Sharma not part of the touring party.
Rohit has missed MI’s last two IPL 2020 matches due to a hamstring injury he picked during the season and consequently, he has also been left out of the almost three-month tour of Australia, for now.
In statement, BCCI secretary Jay Shah said, “… Medical Team will continue to monitor the progress of Rohit Sharma and Ishant Sharma.”
However, India batting legend Sunil Gavaskar has questioned the exclusion saying if Rohit is fit enough to practice for MI, then what kind of injury is he carrying?
“We are talking about the Test matches, which are a month and a half way,” Gavaskar told broadcaster Star Sports on Monday. “And if he is practising in the nets for Mumbai Indians, then honestly I don’t know what kind of injury it is. I think a little bit of transparency, a little bit of openness about what actually is the problem with him will help everybody.”
Gavaskar said the fans deserve to know what’s going on behind the curtains. He cited the example of Kings XI Opener Mayank Agarwal who also has missed few matches for his franchises still he has been named for Australia tour.
“The Indian cricket fan deserves to know, more than anything else. The franchisees, I understand. They don’t want to give their hand away. They don’t want to give the oppositions any psychological advantage. But we are talking about the Indian team here. Even Mayank Agarwal for example. For an Indian cricket fan, they ought to know what happens to two of their key players,” Gavaskar said.
With Rohit not being named, KL Rahul, who has made a comeback to the Test squad, will serve as captain Virat Kohli’s deputy in limited-overs matches.