In a big relief to the Indian team, skipper Virat Kohli confirmed that opener Rohit Sharma did not do any serious damage to his left shoulder while fielding in the 2nd ODI against Australia at Rajkot. As the opener dived to stop a boundary in the game that India won convincingly, the entire stadium went into silence as Rohit was seen gasping in pain and clutching his shoulder after he fell awkwardly in the 43rd over.
He walked out immediately to get treatment from Team India physio Nitin Patel, with Kedar Jadhav coming into the field as his replacement.
With the upcoming tour to New Zealand just a week away, the injury to Rohit was a major concern, but Kohli brought a sense of calm to the madness, adding that though Rohit fell on his dislocated shoulder, he is expected to be fit for the next game in Bengaluru on Sunday.
“I asked Rohit briefly just now,” Kohli said in the post-match presentation ceremony. “It’s that left shoulder which has popped out a few times. There’s no tear, nothing serious there. So hopefully he gets back for the next game.”
However, a team spokesperson said that Rohit is being monitored and that a decision on his fitness for the 3rd game would only be made on the morning of the match.
Team India have been ravaged by injuries in this series, with Rohit’s incident being the third in two games. Rishabh Pant was left with a concussion and has been ruled out of the series after being hit by a Pat Cummins bouncer in the first ODI at Mumbai. In the second ODI, Cummins was at it again, as a full-length delivery from the seamer ended up hitting Shikhar Dhawan directly on the ribs. Though the left-hander showed admirable strength to continue his innings and made a stroke-filled 96, he did not take the field in the second innings as a cautionary measure.
Rohit’s injury, too, then, comes as a concern for the side, who are not only looking to win the series but also have a long six-week tour to New Zealand coming up.
