India’s newly appointed limited-overs captain, Rohit Sharma, is working hard to be fit in time for the home white-ball series against West Indies scheduled for next month.
Rohit Sharma, who was given the full-time T20I and ODI captaincy after T20 World Cup last year, missed the South Africa tour due to a late hamstring injury. Now, with Virat Kohli stepping down as the Test skipper as well, Sharma, who was named the vice-captain of the Test side, remains the front-runner to be the new Test captain.
However, the selectors will have second thoughts over having Sharma as the all-format captain given his history with frequent injuries and fitness issues.
The opener, though, is keen to take the job and proved his willingness by reducing as much as 6 Kgs weight and attaining fitness at the NCA. A report in Insidesport stated, “Rohit has reduced his weight to reduce the burden on his hamstring & knee that has troubled him for a while as advised by NCA experts.”
The 34-year-old is a key part of the Indian team across formats and now has got his responsibilities increased. Sharma needs to be away from injuries as much as possible with India eyeing the upcoming T20 World Cup 2022 and 50-over World Cup 2023.
“Rohit’s rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) is going pretty well. He is expected to be okay for the West Indies series. It’s still close to three weeks from now before the first ODI is played in Ahmedabad on February 6,” a BCCI source privy to developments told PTI
As per BCCI’s policy, each and every player has to mandatorily appear for fitness tests at the NCA before being awarded ‘fit to play’ certificate.
India host West Indies for three ODIs and as many T20Is. The ODI matches will be played on February 6, 9, and 12 while the T20Is on 15, 18, 20.
After the West Indies, India host Sri Lanka for a 2-Test series followed by 3 T20Is. The BCCI or the selectors haven’t yet announced the new Test captain following Virat Kohli’s sudden resignation.
Besides Rohit Sharma, injured R Jadeja is working on their fitness at NCA to make come back at home. Meanwhile, Sanju Samson has also spent time at the NCA to work on his fitness ahead of IPL 2022.
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