Virat Kohli has added a new twist to the Rohit Sharma saga stating that “lack of clarity” over his injury has led the team management to play the “waiting game” on his availability, which is not ideal.

Speaking during his first media conference in Australia on the eve of India’s ODI series opener, the Team India captain said that ideally both Rohit and Ishant Sharma should have been in Australia for their rehab.

“Before the selection meeting in Dubai, we had got an email two days before that, which said that he is unavailable for selection… he has picked up an injury during the IPL,” Kohli said at the virtual interaction on Thursday.

“And it mentioned there was a two-week rest-and-rehab period. The pros and cons and the implications of the injury have been explained to him and he understood that. And he was unavailable for selection. That was the information we got on mail before the selection meet.

“After that he played in the IPL, so we all thought he would be on that flight to Australia, which he wasn’t. And we had no information whatsoever on the reason why he is not travelling with us.”

According to Kohli, the team management was recently informed that Rohit would be next “assessed” on December 11 at the NCA in Bangalore. “After that the only other information officially we have received on mail is that he is in the NCA and he’s been assessed and he’ll be further assessed on December 11. So from the time that the selection meeting happened to the IPL finishing, when this email came about his assessment at the NCA, there has been no information, there has been lack of clarity.

“We have been playing the waiting game on this issue for a while now, which is not ideal at all. So, yeah, it’s been very confusing. There has been a lot of uncertainty and lack of clarity around the situation.”

The BCCI said late on Thursday that clarity on Rohit would be available after his “next assessment” on December 11. In a media release secretary Jay Shah also stated that Rohit “had to come back to Mumbai after the IPL to attend to his ailing father”.

Kohli agreed both Rohit and Ishant should have had their rehab in Australia. “Yeah, definitely would have increased the chances of both playing Test matches,” he said.

Ishant out

The BCCI also announced that Ishant “has been ruled out” of the Test series and is “building up his workload in order to achieve Test match fitness”.