Rohit Sharma is doing a fine job, leading four-time defending champions Mumbai Indians (MI) in the 2020 Indian Premier League (IPL), being played in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). However, his omission from India's squad for the upcoming Australia tour has had everyone scratching their head.
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As the selection committee announced the squads on Monday evening, it had quite some interesting and fresh names, besides the notable omission of Rohit. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) release stated, "The BCCI Medical Team will continue to monitor the progress of Rohit Sharma."
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Rohit has not featured for MI since October 18, following their Super Over defeat to Kings XI Punjab (KXIP), as Kieron Pollard has been leading in the past two matches. Meanwhile, MI had come up with a statement, saying that he has "suffered left leg hamstring strain".
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Although the extent of his injury is not clear, MI are yet to respond on how long would Rohit be out of action. Nonetheless, Rohit has been seen training in full flow with the bat in Abu Dhabi, as MI released a video of the same, following the announcement of the squad.
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Immediately, there was a flurry of criticisms from fans, for the unfair omission of Rohit. Meanwhile, former Indian legend Sunil Gavaskar, too, slammed the BCCI for lack of transparency.
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"A bit of transparency and openness about what kind of injury he has will help everybody because the Indian cricket fans deserve to know. I understand the franchises don't want to give their hand away because they want to win the game and don't want the opposition to gain any psychological advantage, [but] we are talking about the Indian team," Gavaskar told Star Sports.
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In the past few days, MI had stated that Rohit was making good progress, and it is evident from the video that they have tweeted. Nonetheless, Rohit has admitted that playing the IPL following a six-month break, owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, is certainly challenging, as he has managed to score just 260 runs in nine innings as an opener, at an average of 28.88 and has a strike-rate of 129.35, including twin half-centuries.
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Meanwhile, BCCI's concern is understandable, As Rohit had injured his same left leg during the New Zealand tour, earlier this year, he was compelled to return during the T20I series, after he tore his calf muscle. It is also understood that BCCI has asked Rohit not to rush himself in, keeping in mind that it could entirely jeopardise his chances of playing in Australia.
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