• Team India boarded the flight for Australia in Hazmat suits without Rohit Sharma.

  • Rohit will have to pass the fitness test before heading to Australia.

Rohit Sharma not to join India squad in Australia until the Test series
Team India in Hazmat suits (Pic Source: BCCI)

Rohit Sharma was not a part of the Indian team members which boarded the flight from Dubai to Sydney on Wednesday for the Australia tour. Rohit, who led Mumbai Indians (MI) to their fifth IPL title on Tuesday, will return home to recover completely from the hamstring injury he sustained during the IPL 2020.

The All India Selection Committee initially didn’t name Rohit in any of the three squads for Australia tour, which begins from November 27 and would end on January 19. The tour comprises three ODIs, three T20Is and four Tests. The selectors did so because Rohit had suffered a hamstring tear in his left leg last month while completing a run in the Super Over against Kings XI Punjab. He didn’t feature in MI’s next four matches and returned for their last league match followed by Qualifier 1 and the final, only after his recovery.

On the eve of the IPL final, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in a press release stated that Rohit would feature in the Test series against Australia, but was rested for the limited-overs leg to regain full fitness.

Rohit will now undergo his rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru, and once the 33-year-old passes the fitness test, he will head to Australia ahead of the Test series, which begins in Adelaide from December 17.

Ahead of the Test series, India will play two warm-up matches – the second of them under lights, ahead of the pink-ball Test. The first warm-up game between India A and Australia A is scheduled to take place from December 6 to 8, while the second warm-up match will be played from December 11 to 13.

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