The well-wishers of Indian cricket can heave a sigh of relief as veteran pacer Ishant Sharma on Saturday (February 15) cleared the fitness test at National Cricket Academy (NCA) and will now board the flight to New Zealand for the upcoming two-match Test series.
"Yes, he has passed the fitness test and will join the Indian team for the Test series in New Zealand," sources in the know of developments told IANS.
Moreover, Ishant himself confirmed the same with an Instagram post.
He shared a picture with NCA Physiotherapist Ashish Kaushik and captioned it as: “It was a roller coaster ride for me after the injury on my ankle on the 20th January but with the help of Ashish Kaushik I managed to pull it off! Scans were a little scary, but today I am happy that I am fit ! Thanks @ashishskaushik.”
Ishant Sharma had sustained an ankle tear while playing for Delhi in a Ranji Trophy match against Vidarbha last month. Earlier, it was reported that he would require six weeks of rest and rehab at NCA to regain his full fitness and thus won’t participate in the New Zealand Test series.
"He has been advised complete rest for six weeks, so there is little chance of him playing the Test series against New Zealand next month. When he goes to the National Cricket Academy will depend on his getting into a position where he can walk properly," DDCA director Sanjay Bhardwaj had said.
Wellington will host the Test series opener from February 21 to 25 while the second Test will be played in Christchurch from February 29 to March 4.
