Australia vs India: The reason why Ishant Sharma will not play the Sydney Test

Team India announced the 13-man squad for the fourth and final Test match of the series and Ishant Sharma’s absence was the most shocking one. There was another surprise in the offing as Ravi Ashwin was included only a couple of hours after the media manager declared that the off-spinner was ruled out of the Test. However, many were left perplexed why Ishant was dropped as there were no concerns about his performance or injury earlier on the tour.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has now released a statement stating that Ishant Sharma is struggling with a rib-cage injury and is being assessed by the physio at the moment. “He is experiencing some left rib cage discomfort and the team management did not want to risk him during this Test match. He is currently being assessed,” the statement read.

What will be the team combination?

An injury to Ishant Sharma has left the visitors in flux now as they will be thinking of including another spinner now with Kuldeep Yadav also in the squad. Ishant has been brilliant for India over the last 12 months and very few would argue that 2018 was the best year of his career.

There will be a toss-up between the chinaman and Umesh Yadav who disappointed in Perth. Also, KL Rahul is set to play this game after being dropped from the third Test.

Rohit Sharma leaving for India to attend his new-born baby and wife Ritika Sajdeh has presented him with another chance to seal his spot in the whites. The team will surely miss Ishant though as the history beckons in Sydney and it remains to be seen if Virat Kohli and Co will be able to hold Australia at least for a draw to win the overall contest.

[interaction id=”5c28d08810e02f5f7f8a9802″]

Get the latest Cricket News and updates from Australia vs India series, Match Predictions, Fantasy Cricket Tips and lots more on CricTracker.com.