Rohit Sharma, Ishant Sharma were never going to fly to Australia: BCCI

At a time when the Indian cricket fraternity is waiting eagerly for Rohit Sharma and Ishant Sharma to join Team India in Australia, BCCI have reportedly said that the two were never meant to fly to Australia. None of the two were initially named in the squad for the four-match series due to the injury they sustained in the IPL.

The BCCI, however, kept the doors open for them provided they recover fully in time. But Rohit and Ishant are reportedly nowhere close to being fully fit for a Test match. And with strict quarantine rules in place in Australia, the duo is set to miss at least the first two games if not the entire Border-Gavaskar series.

Amid all the confusion, a BCCI source has stated that neither Rohit nor Ishant were ‘anyway part of the squad’, thus hinting that they were not in the team’s plan right from the start. He also stated that the BCCI is hopeful of Shreyas Iyer remaining in Australia for the Tests after skipper Virat Kohli’s departure. Kohli will return to India after the first Test to attend the birth of his first child.

“Rohit and Ishant were anyway not part of the squad. An 18-member team was announced for the four Tests. Now that Virat (Kohli) is returning, we’re hoping Shreyas Iyer will stay back for the series,” a BCCI source was quoted as saying by TOI.

Rohit Sharma was never going to fly

The news outlet further quoted a source as saying that the BCCI was aware of the fact that Rohit Sharma and Ishant were never going to make it to Australia. Earlier this month, the opener had returned to India from the UAE after IPL while the rest of the team travelled to the UAE. It was later revealed that Rohit returned home because his father was suffering with COVID-19.

Also Read: Rohit Sharma didn’t travel to Australia from UAE because his father had COVID-19

The source also stated that the mandatory 14-day quarantine is yet another problem. Rohit will be reportedly assessed for his fitness on December 11, just six days before the start of the first Test. The BCCI source expressed his doubt over Rohit’s availability even if he gets permission to travel to Australia.

“But the problem is that there’s a 14-day mandatory state quarantine in Australia. Even if he is allowed to travel on the 12th, how will he fly? There are no commercial flights. And even if he manages to fly, he has to undergo the two-week solitary quarantine. When will he be available, subject to fitness. We all knew he was never going to fly,” said the source.