 "Rohit Sharma reportedly sweats it out in Mumbai amid uncertainty over first Test against Australia")
Rohit Sharma’s participation in the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia in Perth remains doubtful, with the India captain widely expected to give the tour opener a miss, reportedly due to the birth of his second child. The ‘Hitman’, however, is ensuring he remains prepared for what will be one of the toughest assignments of his career even if he is thousands of miles away from his teammates.
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On Wednesday, two days after the second batch of Indian players and support staff members boarded the flight to Australia, Rohit was seen sweating it out in the nets at the Reliance Corporate Park (RCP) in Ghansoli, Navi Mumbai, according to The Times of India.
The report added that Rohit, who is under immense pressure as a batter after his poor returns in the home Test assignments against Bangladesh and New Zealand, is also using the Mumbai Cricket Association’s (MCA) facilities besides those at RCP.
Additionally, a decision on his departure for Australia will only be taken after the birth of his second child.
“There is no clarity yet on his departure. It all depends on how things unfold on the personal front. He is doing what any father would at this stage, which is to stay with his wife and family. But at the same time, he is ensuring to be well-tuned for the Test series and will be batting at every possible opportunity in Mumbai,” a source was quoted as telling the newspaper.
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Rohit had recently attended a marathon six-hour meeting with head coach Gautam Gambhir and chief selector Ajit Agarkar at the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai following India's humiliating 0-3 sweep at the hands of New Zealand — their first Test series at home since the 2-1 loss against England in December 2012.
As a result of the whitewash, India find it increasingly difficult to qualify for a third straight World Test Championship final. Rohit and Co will now have to defeat the reigning world Test champions in their own backyard by a margin of 4-0 or better in order to directly qualify for the final. Anything less than that, and India will be dependent on other teams for them to scrape through.
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