IPL 2020: How severe is Rohit Sharma's injury?

Rohit Sharma is currently leading Mumbai Indians in the ongoing Indian Premier League, in the United Arab Emirates. MI are the record four-time defending champions. He has not been selected for any format in upcoming India’s tour of Australia, starting November.

Rohit Sharma is ideally the vice-captain of Team India across formats. However, his participation in upcoming India’s tour of Australia is in doubt owing to an injury he has suffered recently.

After the selection committee of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the squad for the tour on Monday, Rohit happened to be a notable omission. Clarifying on the same, the BCCI said in a statement, “The BCCI Medical Team will continue to monitor the progress of Rohit Sharma.”

Meanwhile, the extent of his injury seems to be baffling and confusing. Although Rohit has not featured in the past couple of games for Mumbai Indians (MI), in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020, he has been seen training at nets with the team.

As for his injury, MI have just stated that he has suffered a hamstring strain on his left leg. Consequently, he was reportedly attended by Team India physiotherapist Nitin Patel, who, upon examining him in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), informed the BCCI that he would not be available for the selection.

The selection committee is also under the impression that Rohit might not take any further part in the IPL, as it could jeopardise his chances of travelling to Australia, entirely. Meanwhile, Patel, in consultation with two other doctors, has advised Rohit to be under rest for two-three weeks, to heal completely and stand a chance to play in Australia.

“Patel had submitted a detailed fitness report of every player. It’s a normal procedure, where the Indian team physio informs the board and selection committee about which player is fit and which player is not. The selectors were informed that Rohit will not be available for selection, due to injury. He even submitted two expert doctors’ advice, who both said Rohit needs rest for two to three weeks,” a BCCI official was quoted as saying, reports The Indian Express.

As for the severity of Rohit’s injury, a BCCI source was hopeful of him recovering soon and playing in Australia. He also feels that the bio-bubble sphere, followed by the quarantine protocols in Australia, would give him enough scope and time to recover completely, as he could continue to train with Team India.

“The injury as of now is manageable. We are hopeful that he can travel with the team. He can continue to be in the bio-bubble with the team, in air-travel and in the Australian hotel. That’s the plan, still,” said the source.

Meanwhile, the selectors, Jatin Paranjpe, Sarandeep Singh and Devang Gandhi, have concluded their four-year term and would no longer serve as the selectors. At the same time, the BCCI would be inviting applications for the role, in the coming days.