Ishant Sharma and Rohit Sharma have been ruled out of the first two games of the upcoming four-round series in Australia and their hopes of taking part in the final two rounds depend on quick and decisive action from BCCI, ESPNcricinfo learns.
To compete for the third test, Ishant, who has regained his ability to bowling but needs a four-week workload to be ready for the rigors of test play, will have to board a plane almost immediately.
Australia’s strict 14-day quarantine rule means that you can start training only after two weeks; Throw in another four weeks of preparatory training, and you can only be ready for the third test, starting January 7 in Sydney.
Rohit, who suffered a torn hamstring during the IPL, is believed to be away from full fitness for some time. You can only be authorized to travel in the second week of December and will need two weeks of additional rehabilitation, after which a final evaluation can be done. According to a BCCI official, Rohit would have had a better chance of appearing in the Test series if he had flown directly to Australia with the other members of the UAE squad.
Even if you fly as early as possible, which is December 8, you would still have to serve a tough 14-day quarantine, which will keep you out of training until at least December 22.
Ishant’s bowling workload has increased steadily over the past week after he regained his fitness at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru, where he has been training for nearly a month since he returned early from the IPL with a tear. abdominal muscle. However, ESPNcricinfo understands that there are concerns about his fitness for the match, which can only be determined once he is fit to throw at least 20 overs in a day.
“If there is a T20 game and he only needs to throw four overs, Ishant is ready to go straight away, but for him to get back to test fitness he still needs four weeks of proper bowling,” said a BCCI source.
As such, even if Ishant and Rohit flew in for a day or two, the harsh quarantine would mean that each of them would have to isolate themselves in their hotel room for 14 days. This will mean that neither of them will be able to participate in the two prep games leading up to the first Test in Adelaide, which begins on December 17th.
The 32-member contingent from India began training in Sydney while in quarantine as they flew directly from one biosecure bubble in the UAE, after the completion of the IPL, to another. Such concessions cannot be awarded to Rohit and Ishant upon arrival as they are not in a biosecure bubble in the NCA where they are currently training.
If Rohit is ruled out, the selectors might consider adding Shreyas Iyer, who is already part of the white ball squads, to the Test squad as a backup hitter. In 54 first-class games, Iyer has added 4,592 runs with an average of 52.18. He is 12 centuries and 23 half centuries old, and was already part of India’s red ball squad when he was called up to cover the injured Virat Kohli during the 2016-17 home series against Australia, but has yet to achieve his goal. Debut test.
As for fast bowling, India already has Jasprit Bumrah, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj on its test team. The contingent also has three reserve players in Kartik Tyagi, Kamlesh Nagarkoti and Ishan Porel to choose from, if necessary.
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