Rohit joins India team in Melbourne

Melbourne

Days after recording its lowest Test total of 36 in the series opener in Adelaide, India staged a remarkable turnaround at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) to humble Australia by eight wickets and level the rubber.

Rohit’s inclusion will strengthen the squad that was going through one of its worst phases last week.

“So how was your quarantine, my friend?” chief coach Ravi Shastri asked Rohit in a video posted by the BCCI. The batsman was heard saying that he is feeling younger.

Shastri said on Tuesday that the medical team would look at how the player is physically after completing his quarantine before a call is taken on his inclusion in the playing eleven for the third Test in Sydney.

The third match is scheduled to be played from January 7.

On December 11, the BCCI had announced that the opener cleared the fitness test at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru, paving way for his departure for Australia.

Rohit had sustained a hamstring injury during IPL 2020, which led to him missing the white-ball leg and the first two Tests.

Australia adds trio to squad Australia on Wednesday brought back David Warner and Will Pucovski to bolster its under-fire batting line-up for the remainder of the Test series against India and dropped struggling opener Joe Burns.

“Warner, Pucovski and Sean Abbott will rejoin the squad in Melbourne on Thursday in preparation for the Sydney Test,” said national selector Trevor Hohns.

Squad: Tim Paine (c), Sean Abbott, Pat Cummins, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Moises Henriques, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, James Pattinson, Will Pucovski, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, Matthew Wade (wk) and David Warner.