1. The Rohit Sharma fitness update
Mumbai's stand-in skipper Kieron Pollard said Rohit is still recuperating from his hamstring injury. "It is a bit like taking it day by day. But notwithstanding that, we need to come out and play good cricket to make sure that we do well in the IPL," said Pollard at the toss on Wednesday.
2. Why Rohit's fitness is causing controversy
The fitness of Rohit Sharma has been a matter of big debate in cricketing circles after he was not included in any of the three squads that were selected on Tuesday (October 27) to tour Australia for a full-fledged series.
The matter was complicated when Mumbai Indians tweeted pictures and a video of Rohit training at nets shortly after the India squad announcement. It created an impression that Rohit's injury was not series in nature and rumour mills were also began to spin stories about his possible rift with India captain Virat Kohli.
3. What experts like Gavaskar say
Former India captain and IPL commentator Sunil Gavaskar too lambasted BCCI for not coming out in open about the fitness of Rohit, telling the Indian cricket fans need to know a lot better about the cricketers they follow a lot.
4. The BCCI physio report on Rohit
However, it has been come to the light that BCCI physio Nitin Patel had submitted a fitness report on Rohit that he needed rest for three weeks to recover from his injury. In the absence of Rohit, KL Rahul has been named as the vice-captain of India's ODI and T20I squads.