Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has said that there is 'zero clarity' on the fitness issue of opener Rohit Sharma. Sharma, who led Mumbai Indians to their 5th IPL title on Tuesday, was controversially missing from the Indian team for the upcoming tour of Australia.
However, Rohit was later added to the Test team by the national selectors for the four-match series, to be played between December 17 and January 19, after the issue snowballed into a major controversy. He has, however, been rested from the ODI and T20 series.
"There's zero clarity on the issue of Rohit Sharma's fitness. I am sure there must a stand of BCCI and similarly that of Rohit. And when people don't get information then speculation arises. So, I absolutely have no clarity whatsoever what's going on there," Manjrekar said while speaking on Pakistani YouTube channel CricCast.
Sharma sat out of four games during the second half of the IPL due to a hamstring injury. He was then seen training in the nets ahead of MI’s last league game against Sunrisers Hyderabad, on the day he was removed from all the squads for the Australia tour.
On Monday, while granting paternity leave to skipper Virat Kohli - he will return to India after the first Test - the BCCI named Rohit in the Test squad for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Manjrekar also felt that four-five players, including Suryakumar Yadav, would get a chance to play during the long tour Down Under due to maybe injuries or other reasons.
"When a team is announced for a big tour, like the one of Australia where the Indian team will be there for almost three-four months, we think that is the squad that will be playing. However, as we are talking, slowly and slowly we will get to see that, by the end of the tour, many of the players who are there in India, they would have played in Australia," said the former India batsman.
"I have no doubt that Rohit Sharma will be playing when he gets fit. Suryakumar Yadav will also get a chance somewhere on the tour as it often happens that some injuries take place and replacements are called. I think four-five players who have not been selected for the tour due to fitness or some other issues, they will be playing in the upcoming tour," he felt.
The Australian tour is scheduled to commence with the three ODIs at the Sydney Cricket Ground (November 27, 29) and Manuka Oval, Canberra (December 2). That will be followed by the three-match T20I series at Manuka Oval, Canberra (December 4), and the SCG (December 6, 8).
The Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test series will begin with the pink-ball Test in Adelaide from December 17. It will be followed by Tests at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (December 26), the SCG (January 7), and the Gabba (January 15).
(IANS inputs)
