K. Srinivasa Rao, Mumbai
The BCCI has clarified the situation over the controversy over Rohit Sharma and Ishant Sharma not going to Australia for the Test series. The board said, “Rohit and Ishant were not part of the team anyway. An 18-man squad has been announced for four Tests. Now that Virat Kohli is coming back, we hope Shreyas Iyer will stay in Australia for the Test series.
The BCCI has clarified the situation over the controversy over Rohit Sharma and Ishant Sharma not going to Australia for the Test series. The board said, “Rohit and Ishant were not part of the team anyway. An 18-man squad has been announced for four Tests. Now that Virat Kohli is coming back, we hope Shreyas Iyer will stay in Australia for the Test series.
A source closely observing the matter said, ‘The problem now is that 14 days of quarantine is necessary in Australia. Even if he gets permission to go on the 12th, how will he go? No commercial flight was even going. Even if he goes away, he will have to live alone for two weeks. When will he be available is a question of fitness.
If Rohit wanted to play a Test match and was confident of getting fit, he would have gone to Australia along with the rest of the team on 12 November.
BCCI sources say, “Rohit was supposed to take a flight along with the rest of the team on November 12 but instead of doing so, he decided to go to the National Cricket Academy (NCA).”
Now according to BCCI’s own rules, Rohit needs to be declared fit before playing a Test match.
BCCI said, ‘Nobody in BCCI knows who asked Rohit to go to the National Cricket Academy. Is this their decision? Now NCA has to decide.
Some people believe that if Rohit went to Australia with the rest of the team, would have rehabbed and got fit, he would have played in the second Test as he would have completed the necessary quarantine time.
Sources close told, ‘Whatever the confusion, it has hurt the team’s preparations. Virat will have to come back because it is personal and very important. Rohit had done the same on the previous tour of Australia. It is unfortunate that the team will suffer losses due to lack of communication.
BCCI sources say that Rohit and Ishant were never going to Australia. The source said, “If someone is spreading the wrong news, it is not a good thing.”
Where Ishant is concerned, it was decided about a month ago. Then NCA Director Rahul Dravid wrote to BCCI officials, “Ishant will take about four weeks to get fit and after that it will take another three to four weeks to get match fitness.” That is, on 17 December (the start of the first Test), he will be fully fit.
BCCI sources say, “After this, he will have to do a 14-day quarantine. What next? And living in Quarantine alone is a difficult task. By the time he recovers, three Test matches will have ended. Does the team really need it? ‘
According to the news of our colleague Times of India, BCCI officials had told Rohit that he would go to Australia after Virat Kohli returned but Rohit knew that he would need to take a break.
Sources close told, ‘It was never the BCCI’s decision. We don’t know who is doing this. ‘
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