India vs Australia: Rohit Sharma is currently undergoing quarantine in Sydney and will be part of the Indian squad for the third and fourth Test series. He is currently staying in a two-bedroom apartment in Sydney and is not allowed to step out of the room. The right-hand batsman had landed in Sydney on December 15, after he was declared fit by National Cricket Academy (NCA), where he was undergoing rehab for a hamstring injury. He was put in quarantine upon arrival. However, with an unprecedented rise in COVID-19 cases in Sydney, fans are now worried about his safety as he is all alone. Also, will the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) fly him out just like Cricket Australia (CA) did for David Warner and Sean Abbott?
India vs Australia: What is BCCI planning for Rohit Sharma?
India will play Australia for the third and fourth Test at Sydney Cricket Ground. However, there are chances of the venue getting changed as the government has put some parts of the city in lockdown. Cricket Australia had released a statement on the matter saying “they are monitoring the situation there and after that it will take a call on the fate of the last two tests in Sydney”. Furthermore, it had decided to fly out David Warner and Sean Abbott on Saturday because the two players are in the scheme up for the Melbourne Test. However, BCCI has done nothing of sorts.
Rohit is still stranded in the apartment. Although he is training inside the room, the fact that he is alone in Australia’s new COVID-19 hotbed is worrisome for fans. However, just like Cricket Australia, it is highly unlikely that BCCI will follow suit.
One of the reasons for it is because Rohit is not allowed to move out of the apartment, let alone boarding a chartered flight to Melbourne.
The other aspect is that CA is still confident of hosting the third Test in Sydney from January 7 as per schedule and in that case, there is no need to shift the senior player to Melbourne as in any case he is not playing the second game.
In case the situation changes and the third Test match is shifted, the BCCI will discuss with CA and take necessary steps.
India vs Australia: How is Rohit Sharma spending his time in quarantine?
InsideSport has learnt that the 33-year-old is spending his time reading books and watching TV series. Besides this, he is also focusing on keeping himself fit for the third Test which begins from January 7. He is working on his mental strength, which will can prove instrumental against the might Australia pace attack. He can start training from January 3 ahead of the Sydney Test.
India and Australia will kick off the second Test from Saturday (December 26). The match will begin from 5:00 am.