Rohit Sharma and Ishant Sharma won’t be able to make it to the Indian squad to take part in the Test series against Australia in December-January, Mumbai Mirror reported on Tuesday (November 24).

According to the report, both the cricketers will not be able to recover in time for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, slated to start on December 17 in Adelaide.

Rohit and Ishant are undergoing rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bangalore for different periods and the report is understood to be not so encouraging.

The report further suggests that the meeting of the NCA has taken place recently and the fitness status of the duo was discussed and then informally conveyed to the BCCI, selectors and the team management.

Recently, India head coach Ravi Shastri said the duo need to board the flight in 3-4 days to be able to participate in the marquee Test series.

“He (Rohit) was never going to play the white-ball series, they were just looking to see how long he needed the rest, because you can’t afford to be resting for too long. If you need to play in the Test series or any red-ball cricket, you’ve got to be on the flight in the next three or four days. If you aren’t, then it’s going to be tough.

“It’s a similar case (Ishant’s injury) to Rohit. You don’t really know how quickly he’ll be available to fly out. Like I said, if anyone has to play in the Test series, he has to be on the flight in the next four or five days. Otherwise, it’s very difficult,” Shastri told ABC Sports.

The team management is believed to have made it clear that the duo should be sent only if they are fully fit.

The battle for the prestigious Border-Gavaskar Trophy will kick-start with the pink-ball affair at the Adelaide Oval on December 17. Melbourne will host the second Test from December 26 while the third and fourth Tests will be played in Sydney Cricket Ground (January 7-11) and Brisbane's Gabba (January 15-19), respectively.