Rohit hurt his hamstring while chasing a ball in the early part of Pakistan's innings.
Rohit hurt his hamstring while chasing a ball in the early part of Pakistan's innings during India's second Group A match on February 23. He had to leave the field due to pain at the end of the 26th over.
Gill, the designated vice-captain, led the team for a few overs before Rohit returned to the field and resumed captaincy duties. However, he did not seem to be a 100% fit.
Concerns over Rohit's fitness intensified when he wasn’t spotted in India's first training session in Dubai on Wednesday (February 26), two days after their victory against Pakistan.
According to multiple reports, Rohit was the only Indian batter not to have a net session on Wednesday. He didn’t take throwdowns as well.
Instead, Rohit spent a lot of time discussing strategy with head coach Gautam Gambhir. The only positive was the little sprint that he took. It indicated that the injury is perhaps not as serious as putting a dent in India's Champions Trophy, but it may just be enough to prompt them to rest Rohit from the New Zealand game.
The fixtures holds little value as both teams have already qualified for the semi-finals. Another major reason why India is considering the possibility of resting captain Rohit from Sunday's match is the one-day gap between it and India's semi-final on Tuesday (March 4).
Irrespective of their position on the points table, India are slated to play the first semi-final in Dubai on March 4. The 2013 Champions Trophy winners still don't know who their opponents will be in that knockout game, as three teams in Group B - Australia, Afghanistan and South Africa - have an equal chance of making it.
In Rohit Sharma’s absence, the Indian team management is likely to field either Rishabh Pant or Washington Sundar. The left-handers reportedly spent long hours in the nets, which they hadn't done it before any of the matches in Dubai in this tournament.