IND v AUS 2020: Why is Rohit Sharma not playing the Australia tour?

India opener Rohit Sharma did not make himself available for selection for the country's ongoing tour of Australia, as he had to work on his injured left hamstring and wanted to stay close to his ailing father.

Even after injuring his left hamstring on October 18 while playing for the Mumbai Indians in the recently concluded IPL 2020, Rohit Sharma pulled through till the end of the tournament before returning to Mumbai to be with his father.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed that Rohit Sharma is currently training at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru, with his next fitness assessment scheduled for December 11. While he is not a part of the India’s 6-match limited overs series against Australia, his availability for the Test series will be known on that day.

“He is presently undergoing rehabilitation at the NCA. Rohit Sharma’s next assessment will be conducted on December 11th following which the BCCI will have clarity on his participation in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia,” the board said.

“Rohit Sharma had to come back to Mumbai after the IPL to attend his ailing father. His father is now recuperating well and that has allowed him to travel to the NCA and start his rehabilitation,” the BCCI added.

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‘We had no information on the reason behind Rohit Sharma not flying to Australia,’ says Virat Kohli

Rohit Sharma (R) and Virat Kohli (L) in action during the 2019 World Cup in England

However, there was some uncertainty over Rohit Sharma returning to Mumbai post IPL 2020 and then attending the NCA camp.

While some sources in the know of development said “nobody in the BCCI knows who asked Rohit to head to the NCA”, India skipper Virat Kohli was left surprised by his vice-captain not travelling with the team to Australia.

“Well, before we had the selection meeting in Dubai, we got a mail two days before which said that Rohit is unavailable for selection because of the injury he picked during the IPL. It mentioned a two-week rest and rehab period, and it said that the pros and cons of the injury were explained to Rohit and he understood that."

“It was the information we got by mail but after that he played in the IPL. We all thought that he would be on the flight to Australia which he wasn’t and we had no information on the reason behind him not flying to Australia,” Virat Kohli said on the eve of the first ODI against Australia.

Rohit Sharma was initially ignored from the squads of all three formats to face Australia before being belatedly added to the Test fold. But it is still unknown whether he will attain match fitness by December 11 and when he will fly out and complete the mandatory 14-day quarantine in Australia. The first Test starts on December 17.