FILE PHOTO: Former Indian cricketer and current BCCI (Board Of Control for Cricket in India) president Sourav Ganguly reacts during a press conference at the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai Photograph:( Reuters )
BCCI president Sourav Ganguly has said that Rohit Sharma is still only 70 per cent fit while clarifying this is the reason why he is not picked for the ODI and T20I series against Australia. Ganguly also spoke about Wriddhiman Saha's injury status.
Rohit Sharma played the last three matches of Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 as he led the Mumbai outfit to their fifth IPL trophy. As Rohit took the field for MI’s matches in IPL 2020 in the latter half of the tournament, confusion grew over his fitness as the Indian selectors hadn’t name Rohit in the limited-overs squad for the series against Australia.
BCCI president Sourav Ganguly has now said that Rohit Sharma is still only 70 per cent fit while clarifying this is the reason why he is not picked for the ODI and T20I series against Australia. After much deliberation, Rohit was recently added to the Indian Test squad.
"Rohit is still 70 per cent [fit]," Ganguly said in an interview with The Week when asked about Rohit. "Why don't you find out from Rohit himself? That is why he is still not picked for the ODIs and T20s down under. He has been added to the Test squad."
Rohit had suffered a hamstring tear in his left leg on October 18 and went on to miss Mumbai Indians’ next four matches. However, he came back in the last three and helped the Mumbai outfit lift their fifth IPL trophy.
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It is likely that Rohit would undergo rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru before joining the Indian squad in Australia for the four-match Test series, starting December 17. He still has to pass a fitness test and hasn’t travelled with the Indian squad to Australia.
Another player, who is injured is Wriddhiman Saha. The gloveman picked up hamstring injuries on both his legs. Ganguly has said that the BCCI, Indian physios and the players know about the injury status and that is enough for the board while adding that Wriddhiman will be fit for the Test series against Australia.
"I think people don't know how the BCCI works. The BCCI trainers, physio and Wriddhi himself know that he has two hamstring issues. People don't understand injuries, that is why they talk rubbish"
"Who should know [about player injuries]? We know, the Indian physio knows, the NCA knows," Ganguly said. "I think people don't know how the BCCI works. The BCCI trainers, physio and Wriddhi himself know that he has two hamstring issues. People don't understand injuries, that is why they talk rubbish.
"Wriddhi is travelling to Australia because he will be fit for Tests. He is not part of the shorter formats. For the entire duration of the IPL, Indian physios and trainers were in Dubai. [India physio] Dr. Nitin Patel is managing injuries and monitoring it all."