Subhayan Chakraborty in Bengaluru
Rohit Sharma, the India captain, cast significant doubt on Mohammed Shami’s availability for India’s upcoming tour of Australia, confirming that the experienced pacer has suffered an injury setback during his rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) due to a swollen knee.
Although Rohit didn’t definitively rule Shami out from the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, he indicated that Team India were keeping their “fingers crossed” regarding the recovery of the premier Indian pacer.
“To be honest, right now, it’s pretty difficult for us to make a call on him, whether he’ll be fit for this series or the Australia series,” Rohit told reporters on the eve of the first Test against New Zealand in Bengaluru. “He recently had swelling on his knee, which was quite unusual. He was in the process of getting fit, getting close to 100 percent, but then he had swelling in his knee, which set him back a bit in his recovery. So, he had to start over. Right now, he’s at NCA, working with the physios and the doctors there.”
The Indian captain further stated that the team management and selectors would not take an “undercooked” Shami to Australia. “We are keeping our fingers crossed; we want him to be 100 percent fit,” said Rohit. “We don’t want to bring an undercooked Shami to Australia; that would not be the right decision for us. It is quite tough for a fast bowler, having missed so much cricket, to suddenly come out and be at his best; it is not ideal.
“So, we want to give him enough time to recover and be 100% fit. The physios, the trainers, the doctors have set a roadmap for him. He is supposed to play a couple of games before he returns to international cricket, so we will see where he is after this New Zealand series, and then decide at what stage he will be fit for the Australia series.”
After sweeping Bangladesh 2-0 in the Test series, India will face the Black Caps in a three-Test series before heading to Australia for a five-Test contest. Rohit emphasised the goal for the Indian team was to perform better than in the previous series while recognising the challenge posed by New Zealand.
“New Zealand is a different team; their challenges will be different,” he said. “We’ve played a lot of cricket with them; we know their players, their strengths, and weaknesses. But I’ve said many times that what’s important for us is to do better than what we did in the last series.”
Although no vice-captain was named for the Bangladesh series, Jasprit Bumrah was appointed as Rohit’s deputy for the New Zealand series, hinting that the ace pacer might lead in the first Test against Australia in Perth, as Rohit will miss the opener due to personal reasons.
When asked about Bumrah’s leadership qualities, Rohit commented, “Bumrah has played a lot of cricket, and I’ve played alongside him. He understands the game pretty well. He’s got a good head on his shoulders. Tactically, I can’t say much because he hasn’t captained much. He’s led in one Test match and a couple of T20s, I guess. But when you talk to him, he understands what’s required. When there’s a need for a leader to step up, I think Bumrah will be one of them.”
Rohit kept the team composition under wraps when questioned, noting that India played three pacers and two spinners in Kanpur due to rain forecasts. They are likely to stick with the same XI.
“It all depends on the conditions,” he said. “Even today, there’s been a lot of rain; the pitch is under covers. So, we want to make that call when we come here tomorrow morning. It depends on the match, what kind of pitch we’re playing on. We keep our options open for playing three seamers or three spinners, but we’ll assess the conditions tomorrow morning before deciding.”