Rohit Sharma 'training regularly' to recover; likely to miss match against Bangalore

Mumbai skipper Rohit Sharma has been the talk of the town ever since he sustained a hamstring injury which led to the BCCI dropping him from the squad set to tour Australia next month. Sharma, who is Kohli's deputy in the limited-overs format, has been replaced by KL Rahul, with the BCCI asserting that it will continue to monitor the Mumbai lad's injury. However, the opening batsman has been training 'non-stop' and is speculated to return to field as the IPL 2020 nears the playoff stage. 

According to ANI sources, Rohit Sharma will sit out for the must-win fixture against Bangalore on Wednesday as he continues to work on his muscle and recover from injury. Despite, the BCCI medical team asserting that the opener would need a minimum of 2-3 weeks to return to fitness, it has been reported that he has been hitting the nets and is making effort to regain full match fitness. 

'Training regularly'

"He has been training regularly. The day after the Punjab game was a rest day so there was anyway no training. But wherever the Mumbai unit has trained, he has been there and while he slowly started with working on his leg, he has been hitting the nets now. In fact, before the last game, he also took throwdowns at the ground. He is clearly making an honest effort to regain full match fitness," sources told ANI. 

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Considering Team India physio Nitin Patel's suggestion that Sharma might need 2-3 weeks to get fit and the recent reports, the Mumbai skipper might fully recover just in time to be included in the squad touring India. With the IPL 2020 concluding on November 10, the Indian team is expected to fly out to Australia right after that considering the new quarantine rules with the ODI series commencing from November 27. Head Coach Ravi Shastri and the management staff have already arrived in the UAE - currently in quarantine - and are expected to join the national team right after the IPL final. 

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Even if Rohit Sharma fails to make it to the Indian team, it should not hurt the Men in Blue's prospects, considering the fact that the selectors have included four openers in the squad. These include - Shikhar Dhawan, Mayank Agarwal, Shubman Gill, and KL Rahul. Check the full squads for Australia tour here

India tour of Australia 

India will kick off their tour to Australia with a three-match ODI series starting on Friday, 27 November, followed by as many T20Is and four Tests. The T20Is will be played in Canberra (4 December) and Sydney (6, 8 December). 

The first Test will be a day/night affair, from 17-21 December at the Adelaide Oval. The Melbourne Cricket Ground (26-30 December) will host the Boxing Day Test, before the action moves to the Sydney Cricket Ground (7-11 January) and the Gabba (15-19 January). With India currently on top of the World Test Championship table and Australia in second, the series is expected to be a thriller, as it will also be a part of the ICC World Test Championship. 

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