India’s head coach Ravi Shastri has said that it was important for injured players Rohit Sharma and Ishant Sharma to be on the flight to Australia in the next 3-4 days or else it will be difficult for them to feature in the red ball series.
India starter Rohit Sharma and coach Ravi Shastri (Reuters Image)
HIGHLIGHT
- Ravi Shastri has said that things can get difficult for Rohit if he is asked to rest for too long.
- Rohit and Ishant should be in flight in the next 3-4 days: Shastri
- Rohit Sharma and Ishant Sharma suffered injuries while playing at IPL 2020
Time seems to be running out for injured Indian players Rohit Sharma and Ishant Sharma who are trying to recover just in time to take part in the 4-match test series against Australia. The India team’s head coach, Ravi Shastri, has said that the duo should ideally be on the flight to Australia in 3-4 days or else their participation in “any red ball cricket” will be “difficult”.
Both Rohit Sharma and Ishant Sharma are currently at the National Cricket Academy (NCA), Bangalore, and are working hard to regain their fitness for the match. Ishant was recently seen bowling at top speed under the watchful eye of director Rahul Dravid, while Rohit Sharma said on Saturday that his hamstring was “absolutely fine” but that little work was “yet to be done” before back to action.
Ravi Shastri, while speaking to ABC Sport, has calculated that showing up for the test series will be difficult for Rohit and Ishant if they are advised to rest longer. A 14-day quarantine is mandatory in Australia due to the coronavirus pandemic and that will make it necessary for the two oldest players to land in the country before November 26 if they want to appear in their team’s last practice match against Australia A as of December 11. The first test match is scheduled to begin in Adelaide on December 17.
“He’s going through some tests in the NCA and obviously they’re going to decide [for] how long you need to take a break. But things could get tough if you are asked to wait too long, [because] so you’re talking about quarantine again, which could make it very difficult for even him to arrive just in time for the test series.
“I was never going to play the white ball series, they were just looking to see how long I needed the break, because you can’t afford to rest too much. If you need to play the test series or any other red ball cricket, you have to be on the flight in the next three or four days, if you’re not, then it’s going to be difficult.
“It’s a similar case (Ishant’s injury) to Rohit. You really don’t know how fast he’ll be available to fly. Like I said, if someone has to play in the test series, they have to be on the flight for the next four or so. five days. Otherwise, it’s very difficult, “Ravi Shastri told ABC Sports.
While Ishant Sharma suffers a hamstring injury, Ishant suffered a torn left internal oblique muscle during the 2020 IPL.
