What’s the story?
Indian batsman Rohit Sharma admitted that the two Vijay Hazare games that he will play for Mumbai will reveal whether he is fit to be in contention for the Indian Test side before the squad for the last two Tests against Australia are announced.
The 29-year-old had earlier announced that he will play for Mumbai in the Vijay Hazare Trophy in a bid to improve his match fitness. He is currently at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore working on his fitness ahead of taking part in the Vijay Hazare Trophy for Mumbai.
He said: "I would love to be a part of current Test series. But then I will also have to take a step at a time. These two games will test my real time match fitness. Accordingly, I will have to inform the trainer and physio at the NCA as to how I have felt. I am feeling 100 percent fit but you would always like to hit a few deliveries and take it from there on.”
Extra Cover: Rohit Sharma will play for Mumbai in Vijay Hazare trophy
The Details...
Rohit Sharma is set to play for Mumbai against Andhra and Goa on March 4 and 6, which will give himself and the selectors an idea of whether he is match-fit and in possible contention. The right-hander also admitted that he is undergoing an unusual mode of preparation in order to be match-fit across all formats and admitted he won’t be captaining Mumbai in the tournament.
At the National Cricket Academy, Rohit practiced with red and white balls on alternate days during his net sessions admitted that it was due to the fact that both balls behave differently and he needed to back his muscle memory in preparation for both the Vijay Hazare and the India-Australia Test series.
In case you didn’t know...
In his last three Tests, Rohit Sharma scored 68*, 82 and 51* before he underwent a successful surgery on his right upper quadriceps tendon in London. He wasn’t expected to be fit for the Australia series but his rehabilitation has gone better than anticipated and he could be battling with the likes of Ajinkya Rahane and Karun Nair for a place in the Test side for the final two Tests.
What's next?
India’s squad for the final two Tests haven’t been announced yet and since there is a week’s gap between the second and third Tests, the selectors will be keen to analyze Rohit’s performance in the Vijay Hazare Trophy for Mumbai before making a call on his return to the side.
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Sportskeeda’s Take
1-0 down in the series, India wouldn’t mind having the luxury of having an in-form Rohit Sharma in the middle-order for the final two Tests but with the Champions Trophy in June, the selectors will be wary of picking him too soon and putting him back on the treatment table.
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