Rohit Sharma hints at Axar Patel missing first two ODIs against Australia, says Shreyas Iyer '99 per cent fit'

India skipper Rohit Sharma expected left-arm spinner Axar Patel to miss the first two matches in the upcoming ODI series against Australia, and added that Shreyas Iyer was “99 per cent fit”.

Rohit made the comments during the post-match press conference after leading India to a thumping 10-wicket victory over Sri Lanka in the final of the 2023 Asia Cup. Mohammed Siraj led the way with a sensational haul of 6/21 as the Lankans were bowled out for an embarrassing 50, with the Men in Blue chasing down the target in just 6.1 overs.

Both Axar and Iyer had missed the final; while the former suffered a left quadriceps strain in the final Super Four clash against Bangladesh, Iyer had been missing since featuring in India’s group-stage matches against Pakistan and Nepal thanks to back issues.

Fellow spin-bowling all-rounder Washington Sundar had been drafted in as Axar’s replacement, and had been included in India's XI in the final, but did not get to bowl or bat.

“Axar had a small tear. It looks like maybe it will take a week or 10 days (to heal), I don’t know. We have to see how that injury progresses. Some guys recover quickly, and I hope that’s the case with him,” skipper Rohit didn’t seem too confident about the speed of recovery for the Gujarat all-rounder.

“I am not sure whether he will be able to play the first two games against Australia at home. But we will wait and see,” said Rohit, who didn’t want to fully commit.

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Iyer had suffered back spasm ahead of India’s Super 4 game against Pakistan, and since then he did not take part in the Asia Cup.

Iyer had batted in the nets and also engaged in some fielding drills over the last couple of days.

Rohit said Shreyas did not tick off certain parameters set for him, hence he was not included in the playing 11 for the Asia Cup final against Sri Lanka.

“Shreyas was not available for this game because certain parameters were kept for him to tick off. I think today, he completed most of it. I should say he is alright 99 per cent as of now.”

“But he looks good, he batted and fielded for long hours, and he was on the ground long before we came to the ground. I don’t think it is a worry for us,” said Rohit.

Even though Washington was included in the India squad as replacement for Axar, Rohit said even veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin is very much within the India’s scheme of things as a spin bowling all-rounder.

“As a spinner-all-rounder, Ashwin is in the line. I have been talking to him on the phone. The injury happened to Axar at the last minute. Washington was available, so he had to come and perform the role for us,” said Rohit.

“He (Washington) was cricket-fit because he was part of the Asian Games camp (in Bengaluru). I have been very clear with players about their roles. Everyone is in the loop,” he added.

However if one reads between the lines, if the team management wanted Ashwin that badly, he could have been summoned on a SOS basis with a less than an hour’s flight from Chennai to Colombo.

But it will be very surprising if Ashwin makes the cut, not having played any ODI for more than a year.

With inputs from PTI