Team India delighted as Rohit Sharma joins squad; Shastri quips, 'You're looking younger'

The Men in Blue were all smiles on Wednesday morning as Rohit Sharma entered the Melbourne hotel where the entire squad has lodged. The swashbuckling opener joined the entire squad after ending his quarantine period in Sydney amid his much-anticipated return. Sharma's return to Team India will boost the entire squad's morale at a time when several key players have been ruled out of the Test series due to injuries including skipper Virat Kohli who has flown back home for the birth of his first child. 

The entire squad jumped to welcome Rohit Sharma as he entered the hotel in Melbourne. Amongst those seen in the video shared by BCCI were KL Rahil, Ravindra Jadeja, T Natarajan, Jasprit Bumrah, Mayank Agarwal, skipper Ajinkya Rahane and coach Ravi Shastri. The coach was also seen having a friendly chat with the opener. 

"How was the quarantine my friend? You're looking younger," quipped the Head Coach.

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As India rides high on momentum after a gutsy win at the MCG on Tuesday, Rohit Sharma's addition to the arsenal is expected to be a huge booster. While the opener won't be the replacement for injured speedsters Mohammad Shami and Umesh Yadav, Sharma's inclusion will boost India's top-order batting strength. He is expected to replace Mayank Agarwal as the opener as the Karnataka-lad has failed to impress in the four innings that he has played so far. 

Sharma had missed the entire limited-overs series in Australia due to an injury that he had sustained during the IPL. He had to undergo rehab at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru under the watchful eyes of Rahul Dravid and was only flown to Australia, once he was deemed completely fit. 

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SCG gets nod to host 3rd Test 

Clearing the cloud of doubt over the occasion for the third Test of the Border Gavaskar Trophy, Cricket Australia has confirmed that the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) will host the third Test of the series, as per the schedule. The rising number of COVID-19 cases had cast a doubt on the SCG playing the host for the annual pink Test, putting the national cricket board on high alert. However, officials have affirmed that the COVID-19 threat has subsided enough allowing the match at the SCG to proceed as per schedule. 

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The sudden rise in COVID-19 cases in Sydney had forced CA officials to prepare the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) to host back-to-back matches after the end of the Boxing Day Test. However, interim CA CEO Nick Hockley has stated that the board has received a go-ahead from the NSW government. 

India level series 1-1

Staging a gutsy comeback in the second Test after the Adelaide rout, the touring Indian party without several key players defeated the Australians by 8 wickets to level the Test series 1-1 on Tuesday. The Indian bowlers worked in tandem to bundle the Aussies out for just 200 in their second innings as the batsmen just had to chase a paltry total of 70 which they did in style.

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