Rohit Sharma clears fitness test at NCA, set to fly to Australia

New Delhi: Premier India batsman Rohit Sharma on Friday cleared the fitness test at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru and will fly to Australia over the weekend for the marquee Test series Down Under.

(Photo:Twitter/ICC)

The Indian opener had sustained a hamstring injury during the IPL 2020, which led to him missing the white-ball leg of the ongoing Australia tour. He has been also ruled out for the first two Tests but can now be there for the last two games.

According to the ESPNcricinfo report, Rohit will take a charter flight from Mumbai to Dubai, from where he will fly to Sydney over the weekend and be available for selection for the last two Tests (December 17 to 21 in Adelaide and December 26 to 30 in Melbourne) of the four-match series.

Upon reaching Sydney, Sharma has to undergo a mandatory hard quarantine of 14 days in a facility separate from the bio-secure bubble in which the Indian Test squad is currently in.

The star batsman is expected to join with the Indian squad after Christmas in Melbourne, subject to the travel restrictions between Sydney and Melbourne. After a week of training, the India opener is expected to be ready for the final two Tests, in Sydney from January 7 and in Brisbane from January 15.

Rohit’s availability is key to India’s success in the Test series as skipper Virat Kohli will not be available after the series opener - a day-night fixture in Adelaide, starting December 17.

Kohli will be returning home to be with his wife Anushka Sharma for the birth of their first child. (UNI)