Editor’s noteThis article was published before BCCI confirmed Thursday night that Rohit Sharma will be evaluated on December 11.
On the night that Rohit Sharma was not named to any of the three teams that will participate in the Australian tour, former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar called for more transparency regarding the nature of the injury suffered by the starter. His observation came after the Cricket Control Board in India said that his fitness was being monitored, but then the Mumbai Indians (Rohit’s IPL team) proceeded to post a video of him batting online.
“We are talking about the test matches, which are a month and a half,” Gavaskar had told the station. Star Sports. “And if he’s practicing on the nets for the Mumbai Indians, then I honestly don’t know what kind of injury it is. I think a little transparency, a little candor about what’s really the matter with him will help everyone. “
Gavaskar had continued to add: “The Indian cricketer deserves to know, more than anything else. Franchisees, I get it. They don’t want to shake hands. They do not want to give the oppositions any psychological advantage. But here we are talking about the Indian team ”.
Turns out Gavaskar was being pretty naive. When Virat Kohli, the captain of India, does not know what is happening with Rohit Sharma, what chance does a fan have?
On the eve of ODI’s series against Australia, Kohli finally shed light on how poorly the whole issue has been handled by everyone involved.
“Before the selection meeting (in Dubai in October), we received an email two days before saying that he was not available for selection. He was injured during the IPL and mentioned that there is a two-week rest and rehab period, ”Kohli said.
“He said they had explained the pros, cons and implications of injuries to him and he understood. And it was not available for the screening and that was the information we received in the mail before the screening meeting. After that, he played in the IPL, so we all thought he would be on that flight to Australia, which he wasn’t.
“And we had no information on why he is not traveling with us. And after that, the only other information we’ve officially received in the mail is that he’s in the NCA and he’s been evaluated, and he will be evaluated further on December 11. “
Kohli added: “From the moment the selection meeting happened to the completion of the IPL, and now when this email came about his evaluation in the NCA, there has been no information, there has been a lack of clarity and we have been playing. to the waiting game in this problem for a while; which is not ideal at all. So yes, it has been very confusing and there has been a lot of uncertainty and lack of clarity about the situation. “
Kohli cited the example of Wriddhiman Saha, who was also injured during the IPL, but had traveled with the team to Australia and was making progress in his fitness.
“It would definitely have increased the chances of both of them playing test matches (Rohit and Ishant travel to Australia with the UAE team). Someone like Saha, who was injured during the IPL, is here doing his rehab. So we are keeping up with your progress and you are on the right track to make sure you are fit and available in time to play the series.
And the same would have happened with Ishant and Rohit as well. It would have given them the opportunity to get in shape and be available for the start of the test series. “
“Right now there is so much uncertainty about whether they can do it, whether they can do it or not. It would definitely have been very helpful for them to get in shape if they were here and doing the rehab like Saha is doing with the team to get fit for the test series, ”added the Indian captain.
All this on the eve of a bilateral marquee series against an archrival.
A great disaster
Now, three main points emerge from Kohli’s interview:
1. Kohli, at least on the records, has never come out and revealed what is happening behind the scenes to the press or the general public. That he has come out and explained things in such detail leads one to believe that the BCCI may be turning its back on him. Obviously exasperated, the Indian boss has made himself feel like he has no choice but to clear up the mess. This was Kohli trying to wash his hands of the matter and saying, in no uncertain terms, that this situation was beyond him.
2. What was the BCCI thinking? Were they thinking of India first or were they fighting a little battle with someone? The sole concern of the Board and its Chairman Sourav Ganguly should have been trying to ensure that India had its best players in Australia. The “hard quarantine” situation was known, there were no flights from India to Australia and the two players could have an impact on test matches. So as they did with Saha, could (or rather should) the BCCI have sent Rohit and Ishant to Australia? Ganguly, having been a former captain of India himself, should have been able to imagine the difficult situation this was creating for Kohli and it would have been easy for him to get on the phone and have a conversation with him. But clearly he hasn’t or Kohli wouldn’t have spoken the way he did.
3. Kohli mentions that the nature of the injury was explained to Rohit before the selection meeting. But despite that, the latter turned out to play for the Mumbai Indians and repeated that he was fine more than once. The BCCI has yet to reveal whether Rohit has a torn hamstring or just a strain, so it’s hard to say what is really going on. But it raises the following questions: Did Rohit play for the Mumbai Indians knowing he could put his entire Australian tour at risk? Did you ignore the advice of BCCI physios? What is the role of the Mumbai Indians in this whole fight? And finally, is this just the BCCI with an ax to grind against Rohit?
This is probably not the last time we hear about this topic. After Kohli’s comments, ideally Ganguly, the Mumbai Indians, and Rohit would broach the subject as well, and not with clichés. Instead, this is turning into the kind of showdowns we see in westerns, with fingers pointing in more than one direction (obviously or subtly). Rest assured, it can only be solved if all concerned drop their ego and do what is best for India.
That, however, does not seem to be the priority here. Maybe it never was.
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