India Tour of Australia: Rohit and Ishant ruled out of the first two test matches

India Tour of Australia: Rohit and Ishant ruled out of the first two test matches
Rohit Sharma (left) and fast bowler Ishant Sharma

The duo of Ishant Sharma and Rohit Sharma have been ruled out for the first two test matches against Australia. According to ESPNcricinfo, the pair’s availability for the rest of the two games is not certain and they might as well miss the entire Test series.

Both Rohit and Ishant are currently undergoing rehab at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bangalore. However, their fitness report is not satisfying which was discussed by a team at the NCA. Also, they will have to undergo a strict mandatory 14 days quarantine before rejoining the Indian Team.

Ishant Sharma had regained full fitness, but in order to play, he needs to have four weeks of workload to be fit for rigorous Test match role. This means that Ishant could be match-ready only until 7th January. Ishant had missed out on the Indian Premier League after getting a muscle tear during the beginning of the tournament.

Rohit Sharma had injured his hamstring during IPL 2020 and was initially ruled out of the Indian Team. However, he was added to the Test squad after the BCCI medical team accessing the Mumbai batsman. According to reports Rohit is still not completely fit and will have to be examined again earliest on 8th December.

“If there is a T20 game and he needs to just bowl four overs, Ishant is good to go immediately, but for him to get back to Test-match fitness, he needs four weeks of proper bowling still,” a BCCI source was quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

The four-match Test series begins on 17th December in Adelaide followed by the second test match on Boxing day.

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