We have to check how Rohit Sharma feels before we take a call: Ravi Shastri

India opener Rohit Sharma is all set to join the Test team on Wednesday, head coach Ravi Shastri confirmed after the team registered an impressive win in the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). Rohit’s physical prowess will be closely assessed before the management takes a call on his inclusion for the upcoming third Test match.

Rohit’s fitness hasn’t been at its peak ever since he injured himself in the Indian Premier League (IPL) last October. An irksome muscle-tear injury kept him on the sidelines for a good chunk of the Mumbai Indians’ campaign. Still, he did make a comeback in the playoffs, leading fans to speculate that he had made adequate recovery.

But in the weeks following that development, Rohit’s injury status became even more ambiguous when the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) didn’t select him in the squad(s) for the Australia tour. Things got even further complicated when Rohit returned to India, rather than joining his Australia-bound India teammates after the IPL’s conclusion. It was later revealed that he went back to be with his ailing father who had contracted the Coronavirus.

Rohit finally arrived in Sydney in a chartered flight in mid-December, leading people to believe that he will play some part in the 4-Test series. His 14-day quarantine ended on Tuesday, which should allow him to join the Indian team in Sydney.

Head coach and captain eager to welcome Rohit Sharma back in the team

Both Ravi Shastri and Indian stand-in captain Ajinkya Rahane sounded hopeful about Rohit returning to the playing-XI.

“Rohit will join the team on Wednesday. We’ll see how he is doing physically; he’s coming after a long quarantine. We have to check how he feels before we take a call,” Shastri said in the post-match conference.

Rahane echoed similar sentiments of excitement when asked about Rohit’s arrival. “We’re excited about Rohit coming back. Spoke to him yesterday, he’s waiting to join the team.”

The Indian team will certainly be buoyed by this positive development, especially after going 1-1 up in the Border Gavaskar series. Thanks to commendable performances from captain Rahane, Ravindra Jadeja, and debutants Mohammad Siraj and Shubman Gill, the visitors’ stand in good stead of registering successive series wins on the Australian soil.