India opener Rohit Sharma is currently undergoing rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore. He is racing against time to get fit and fly to Australia for the Test series.
Last week, the BCCI issued a statement, as per which, the final call on Rohit would be taken after an assessment of his hamstring injury on December 11.
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Meanwhile, a TOI report suggests that Rohit’s hamstring is doing ‘pretty fine’ and he is also putting in the extra yards to shed a few kilograms so that the chances of getting niggles can be avoided in future.
On Sunday (December 6), Rohit uploaded pictures on Instagram and looked a lot leaner than he was during the IPL.
“Unless the physio gives a clean chit, a player can’t undergo a high-intensity fitness test. But if he is undergoing rehab on an injury in his lower body, he can work on his upper body’s conditioning and shed weight. A lighter upper body will ensure he doesn’t put much strain on the dodgy hamstring,” a BCCI source told TOI.
“Rohit doesn’t want to take any chance this time. He is very conscious about the fitness standards. He has been plagued by injuries in the last year. Then the lockdown happened before he got on with his IPL duties. He has been on the road for two years too. That didn’t really give him much of a chance to work on his fitness. Now, he wants to ensure he is in perfect shape and his body is ready to endure the rigours of non-stop cricket next year,” the source added.
With skipper Virat Kohli going on paternity leave after the first Test, the onus will be on seasoned Rohit Sharma to show the way in Australia.
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.
(With TOI inputs)
