What’s the story?
Indian batsman Rohit Sharma, who missed the entire series against England, is eyeing a comeback ahead of the series against Australia. In an event organised by Adidas, Rohit revealed that he is undergoing rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru and is trying to make a comeback in the four-match Test series against the Aussies that starts in Pune on February 23.
“I am trying to make a comeback in the Australia series. That is the series I am eyeing. I am at the NCA right now and everybody is trying to help me out,” Rohit said.
In case you didn’t know...
Rohit Sharma injured his thigh in the fifth ODI against New Zealand in Vizag and was out of action since then. He was advised 8-12 weeks rest and that made him miss the five-match Test series and the subsequent limited-overs leg. He was also not included in the 16-member squad to face Bangladesh in Hyderabad from February 9.
In his absence, the Indian openers failed miserably in the ODI series against the Poms as KL Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan and Ajinkya Rahane scored a combined total of 37 runs between them in the three matches.
The heart of the matter
He also revealed that he is in a positive frame of mind in spite of remaining on the sidelines for a while and is working hard on his fitness at the NCA in Bengaluru where all the physios and trainers are helping him to get back on the field at the earliest.
He also praised KL Rahul, who was present alongside him at the event, for his performances and congratulated the Indian team for their win over England in all the three formats.
What's next?
The Mumbaikar will hope to recover completely before the Australia series and try to get into the playing XI. Rohit will also look to get some much-needed match practice as it’s been a while since he played at the top level and India won’t play any other International series going into the Champions Trophy. There are also chances that he might get to play the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy for West Zone and Vijay Hazare Trophy for Mumbai to prove his fitness ahead of his selection.
Sportskeeda’s Take
The Indian team missed the Hitman a lot in the recently concluded ODI and T20I series against England. Rohit coming back into the team will be a blessing in disguise as the Virat Kohli-led team will look to defend their Champions Trophy crown that they won in 2013. But, it is still unclear whether he can walk into the Indian Test team or not as the likes of Karun Nair, who scored a 300 in the previous match is fighting to get into the XI.
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