Rohit Sharma provides update on his fitness ahead of Australia tour

Rohit Sharma is currently nursing a hamstring strain, he suffered during the just-concluded Indian Premier League in the United Arab Emirates. He is missing out on the limited-overs campaign in Australia but is scheduled to be a part of the Test squad.

Ayush Gupta

Bengaluru, First Published Nov 21, 2020, 3:12 PM IST | Last Updated Nov 21, 2020, 3:12 PM IST

Indian opener Rohit Sharma is an integral part of Team India. However, his recent injury has put India at a spot of bother, especially in the upcoming challenging tour of India.

Rohit suffered a hamstring strain while playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020, for Mumbai Indians (MI) during their clash against Kings XI Punjab (KXIP), which saw twin Super Overs. It was then that he had to miss out on five games, before returning for the playoffs.

As of now, Rohit has been ruled out for the limited-overs, while his Test spot is still in doubt. He is currently at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) to assess his fitness, while he also gave an update on his condition, on Saturday.

"I don't know what was going on, to be honest, and what all were people talking about. But, let me put this on record, I was constantly communicating with the BCCI and Mumbai Indians. I told them [Mumbai] that I can take the field since it is the shortest format and I will be able to manage the situation quite nicely. Once I made my mind clear, it was all about focusing on what I needed to do," Rohit was quoted as saying to PTI.

"Hamstring is feeling absolutely fine. Just started the process of getting it nice and strong. Before I play the longer format, I needed to be clear in mind that there is no stone left unturned. That's probably the reason I'm at the NCA," added Rohit.

Sharma's position in Team India was in doubt during the just-concluded IPL, while he was warned of pushing himself into making a comeback, as it could worsen his injury. Nonetheless, Rohit said that he wasn't bothered by the talks happening outside the tournament.

"For me, it was not a concern what X, Y or Z was talking about like whether he would make it to Australia. Once the injury happened, the next two days, all I did was to figure out what I can do in the next ten days - whether I will be able to play or not," Rohit recalled.

"But, every day, hamstring [degree of injury] was changing. The way it was responding was changing, so I was feeling quite confident that I could play and that is the communication that I had with MI at that point. I told them that I think I will be okay to play just before playoffs. If there is any discomfort, I won't be playing the playoffs," reckoned Rohit.

Speaking on how quick he can make his return to the side, Rohit said, "There is still some work that needs to be done on my hamstring. That's why I didn't go to Australia for the white-ball leg, as there are back-to-back games. Around six games in 11 [12] days. So, I thought if I get to work on my body for 25 days, I can probably go and play the Test matches. So, it was an easy decision for me and I don't know why it became so complicated for others."

Rohit also spoke on his title-winning streak as the MI captain, asserting that it was not just all about his captaincy, but a team effort as well. "Yeah, we have a [Kieron] Pollard, a Hardik [Pandya], [Jasprit] Bumrah, but has anybody thought why this team is successful? Lot of people, I hear, say that can he [Sharma] do it with other teams? Firstly, why shall I need to do it with other teams? There is a certain way this franchise wants to go and same direction I want to go as well, both as a player and leader," he noted.

"Did this team become good overnight? No. It's just that this franchise doesn't believe in chopping and changing. And, every player, including Rohit Sharma, was available at [the 2011] auctions. Just that MI picked and believed in building a team," asserted Rohit.

Speaking on Suryakumar Yadav's performance and how he coped with India snub, Rohit clarified, "We were sitting in our team room and I could feel he was dejected. But I didn't go and speak to him. It was he who came up and said, 'Don't worry, I will get over it and win the matches for MI'. When he said that, I also realised he is heading in the right direction, not only in terms of IPL, but also in his overall career. There are a lot of India games and his time will come."

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