Vice-captain Rohit Sharma has been ruled out of the Test series in South Africa with a left hamstring injury. Rohit, the limited overs captain, has been replaced by Gujarat opener Priyank Panchal, who led India A during the just-concluded series in South Africa.
Rohit injured himself during a training session at the Bandra-Kurla Complex in Mumbai on Sunday afternoon and immediately complained of discomfort to the physio. An MRI done on his left hamstring confirmed the serious nature of the injury.
He was also hit on his fingers when facing up to throwdown specialist Raghu but that reportedly isn’t something to worry about. Ajinkya Rahane, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant and Shardul Thakur also took part in training.
Rohit is expected to be fit for the three ODIs that follow the Test series. A hamstring injury takes at least four weeks to recover and hence nothing can be guaranteed. Sources told The Telegraph that Rohit has been advised to take a “go-slow” approach given India’s packed international commitments.
The BCCI hasn’t announced who will replace Rohit as the vice-captain in Tests but it is learnt that KL Rahul and Ravichandran Ashwin are in the running. Rahane was recently stripped of the responsibilities because of his poor batting form.
It is not clear if it is Rohit’s old left hamstring injury — picked up in IPL 2020 and which forced him to miss the first two Tests in 2020-21 tour of Australia — that has resurfaced or it is a fresh one.
Rohit’s absence will be a blow for India since he has been their highest Test run-getter in 2021 — 906 runs in 11 Tests at an average of 47.68, with two centuries, including a match-winning 127 at The Oval in September.
Rahul and Mayank Agarwal are likely to open the innings in Rohit’s absence. The first Test begins in Centurion on December 26. The South Africa-bound players began their three-day quarantine at a five-star property near the Mumbai international airport on Sunday evening. Panchal checked into the hotel on Monday.
The BCCI has relaxed the protocols for Mumbai-based players travelling with their families. As a result, captain Virat Kohli didn’t check into the hotel on Sunday and was in home isolation.
Panchal had been part of the reserves in England during the four-match series. A veteran of 100 first-class matches, Panchal captained India A in two of the three four-day unofficial Test matches in Bloemfontein. He had scores of 96, 24 and 0 in his three innings at an average of 40.
Missing link
During Sunday’s training session, Rohit interacted with bcci.tv. He spoke about the missing link in India’s ICC trophy cabinet.
“There are lot of things that we need to do right before we think of the end result. The last ICC trophy (Champions Trophy), we won was in 2013,” Rohit said. “But I don’t see anything wrong that we did after that Champions Trophy. We played well and performed as a team but just that we couldn’t get that extra inch.
“That can happen as international cricket is very demanding but that’s the challenge as we are all professionals. Lot of World Cups are coming and India will be eyeing to do well in a lot of them. Our focus is on winning a championship but there is a process that we need to follow as a group.
“If you need to win the championship, there are a lot of other things that you first need to take care of, then focus on the end goal.”
Praise for Kohli
Rohit said he enjoyed a “great time” under Kohli, who led since 2017. “Five years that he led the team, he led from the front every time, we stepped on to the park, and there was clear grit and determination to win every game, that was the message to the entire squad,” Rohit said.
“We have had a great time playing under him and I have played a lot of cricket under him, I have enjoyed each and every moment, still continue to do that.”
