India captain Rohit Sharma was hit on his left knee during a practice session on Sunday at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) ahead of the upcoming Boxing Day Test against Australia. During the net sessions, the 37-year-old received a blow when facing throwdown specialist Daya. As per Times of India, he continued batting for a while but ultimately decided to get attention from the team physio.
The report further states that Rohit removed his gear once the physio approached him and applied an ice pack. The physio then placed the Indian captain’s left leg on a chair so that he could get into a comfortable position and rest.
When the physio was attending to Rohit, the right-handed batter looked in visible pain and discomfort, which can be a worrying sign for Team India.
There are still four days remaining for the Boxing Day Test, and the management will hope that that the blow on Rohit’s left knee is not too serious and he is able to make it in time ahead of the fourth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which stands level at 1-1.
Sunday marked India’s second training session ahead of the Boxing Day Test. All the players were in attendance, and Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah were also seen trying different things.
Rohit Sharma desperate to find form
The Indian captain has not been in great touch with the bat and has had disappointing returns in the last five Tests that he has played.
Rohit Sharma missed the Border-Gavaskar Trophy opener in Perth, which India won by 295 runs under Jasprit Bumrah’s leadership. He then returned for the next two Tests in Adelaide and Brisbane. However, he failed to get going with the bat in hand, and even his captaincy was questionable at times.
In Adelaide, Rohit returned with scores of just 3 and 6. Rohit managed 10 runs in the first innings in the next Gabba Test.
Among all Indian batters, Rohit Sharma has the lowest first-innings average for Tests in 2024-25. After the end of the Gabba Test, which ended in a draw, Rohit himself accepted that his performances of late had not been up to the mark; however, he expressed full confidence in his abilities.
“Yeah, I have not batted well. There is no harm in accepting that. But I know what’s in my mind, how I am preparing myself. All those boxes are very much ticked. It’s just about spending as much time as possible batting,” Rohit told reporters at the post-match press conference.
“Which I am pretty sure I am just there. As long as my mind, my body, my feet are moving well. I am pretty happy with how things are panning out for me. Sometimes those numbers can tell you that it’s been a while since he has got big runs. But for a person like me, I think it’s all about how I feel in my mind. What kind of prep I am having before each game. And how I am feeling about myself. That’s the most important thing,” he added.
