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MI sweat over Rohit Sharma’s fitness
Rohit Sharma tests his injured hamstring ahead of Mumbai Indians' match against Punjab Kings, with his participation uncertain due to fitness concerns.
Mumbai: Rohit Sharma went through the paces testing his injured hamstring in pre-match training on on Wednesday ahead of Mumbai Indians’ home tie against Punjab Kings.
Rohit’s workout at the Wankhede included stretching and jogging for 40 minutes followed by a 20-minute batting session. “Rohit is being assessed and we will know when we will know,” the Mumbai Indians media manager said on Wednesday.
The former MI captain had limped off the field while batting holding his hamstring in the sixth over of the RCB tie on Sunday. Rohit, 38, had picked up injury under extreme heat and humidity in Mumbai. Rohit is unlikely to risk his long-term fitness for Thursday’s match and a lot would depend on how he feels after practice.
Accompanied by the physio, Rohit took a few slow rounds of the stadium. He then ran diagonally to test his hamstring before batting with the hamstring strapped. A few throwdowns later, he even stepped out against a few net bowlers before ending the brief session.
Rohit has batted with hamstring niggles before. His knock of 76 in last year’s Champions Trophy final is an example. If sufficiently healed, Rohit can play as an Impact player.
Five-time winners MI find themselves languishing at ninth in the points table with one win in four matches. Rohit’s absence would further disrupt their batting plans. With 137 runs in four matches, he is MI’s highest run-scorer. As a batting unit, MI’s performances have paled compared to several other teams that have raised the bar. Even the Rohit-Rickleton opening partnership hasn’t been as destructive as a few others.
There is no ready replacement available for Rohit in the MI squad. Quinton de Kock is waiting in the wings, but that would force Trent Boult out of the twelve. Among Indians, the left-handed hard-hitter from Jharkhand, Robin Minz, and the exciting batter from Vidarbha Danish Malewar could be in contention if he misses out.
A more straightforward option would be to push either Tilak Varma or Suryakumar Yadav up the order. Minz, Malewar and De Kock all had long batting sessions.
