Former India opener Virender Sehwag believes that the BCCI should have included Rohit Sharma in the Australia squad, and if they were concerned about his injury, they should have sent a replacement alongside him. Rohit missed a few games for Mumbai Indians in IPL 2020 due to a hamstring injury, but he regained his fitness and has played two games for MI now. This has led to confusion among fans and pundits regarding the reasons behind Rohit not being included in the India squad for Australia.
Sehwag, to explain his point, recalled an incident before the 2011 World Cup when he required shoulder surgery which would have meant him not being part of the World Cup. Sehwag recalled that the BCCI officials insisted to delay the surgery.
“If a statement has gone from MI physio that we are not sure how long would it take for Rohit Sharma to get fit, and the team has been created keeping this statement in mind, then even I have nothing to say. You get an idea if you are a top player,” Sehwag said on Cricbuzz.
“Let me give an example from my career. Before the 2011 World Cup, I was having problems with my shoulder. When I got scanned, so there was a tear in my bicep tendon, and I needed to get a surgery done,” he recalled.
“I could not have gone without doing that. So I told the BCCI and Gary Kirsten to convey that I need to get a surgery. This happened in December 2010. They should take a call if they want to include me in the World Cup squad or not, because if I get a surgery done in December, I will not be ready for the World Cup.
“The call was in Kirsten and BCCI’s hands and they said that ‘no, you get the surgery after World Cup, we will play you till then’. So I played Test cricket, but did not play ODIs before World Cup. Because I wanted to avoid getting more injuries. I kept doing rehab in the interim and also went to Germany to get injections. Everyone knew about this,” Sehwag further said.
“So, similarly, everyone might be knowing about Rohit Sharma’s problems – the selectors, the physio, coaches. Still, he could have been selected for the Australia tour. If he doesn’t get fit, then we will send in this player as a replacement or will send a replacement alongside him keeping the biosecure bubble in mind,” Sehwag said.
“Then we would not be having this discussion. So I don’t understand why he was kept out of the squad. If he is fit, and he plays the final, will the selectors have a similar stance? Then you are not keeping a good India batsman in the team – for what reason, no one knows,” the former India opener signed off.