'Zero clarity' on Rohit Sharma's fitness: Sanjay Manjrekar

NEW DELHI: There is "zero clarity" on the fitness issue of Rohit Sharma — an automatic starter in the Indian team in all formats of the game — who was controversially dropped initially from all three Indian squads without explanation, says cricketer-turned-commentator Sanjay Manjrekar.

Sharma, was, however, later added in the Test team by the national selectors for the four-match series, to be played between December 17 and January 19, after the issue snowballed into a major controversy. He has, however, been "rested" from the ODI and T20 series.

Sharma is said to have a hamstring injury, but so far the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has been silent on the nature of his injury even as it has explained for the other injured players.

"There's zero clarity on the issue of Rohit Sharma's fitness. I am sure there must a stand of BCCI and similarly that of Rohit. And when people don't get information then speculation arise. So, I absolutely have no clarity whatsoever what's going on there," Manjrekar said while speaking on Pakistani YouTube channel CricCast.

Interestingly, Sharma, who apparently had a hamstring injury, turned out for Mumbai Indians (MI) franchise in the Indian Premier League (IPL) recently even as he was ignored by the national selection committee. Sharma led MI to the IPL title on Tuesday. The BCCI has given no reason for Sharma's axing while India coach Ravi Shastri, and former India captains Sunil Gavaskar, Virender Sehwag, and Gautam Gambhir got involved in the controversy as they reacted to the selectors' decision.

The 32-year-old was first not included in any of the three squads for the Australia tour due to a hamstring injury. However, later on, he featured in the playoffs of the just-concluded Indian Premier League where he led Mumbai Indians to their fifth title. IANS

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