The MYSTERY of Rohit's omission

Rohit Sharma's exclusion from the Indian team for the tour of Australia may have ignited a clash between the Mumbai Indians and the BCCI.

Rohit was on Monday not included in the Indian team after he sustained a left leg hamstring strain during the IPL game against the Kings XI Punjab on October 18, which saw him miss the last two matches for the Mumbai Indians.

Delhi Capitals fast bowler Ishant Sharma, who was earlier ruled out of IPL 2020 with injury, was also not picked for the Australia tour.

'The BCCI medical team will continue to monitor the progress of Rohit Sharma and Ishant Sharma,' BCCI Secretary Jay Shah was quoted as saying in the media release without giving any details of their injuries or recovery period.

A couple of hours after Rohit's omission, Mumbai Indians released photographs and videos of their captain having a bat in the nets.

'Just what we love to see! Hitman in action at today's training,' the defending IPL champions captioned the pictures on Twitter.

And to emphasise the point even further, Mumbai Indians released a video on Twitter, where Rohit can be seen batting freely without any discomfort.

'45 seconds of RO45 in full flow,' says the caption for the video.

However, there is no clarity on whether Rohit, who missed the games against the Chennai Super Kings on October 23 and against the Rajasthan Royals on October 25, will be back in action for their next match, or any details about his injury.

The Rohit scenario has exposed the lack communication between the IPL franchises and the BCCI when it comes to the injury management of players.

On the one hand, the BCCI hinted that Rohit is being monitored after his latest injury, while on the other his franchise has posted pictures and videos of his training sessions to dispel all doubts about his fitness.

The question on everyone's mind now is that if indeed Rohit's injury is so serious that he is not being considered for the tour of Australia, which is expected to start on November 27, then why didn't the BCCI ask him to be ruled out of the IPL yet?

Also, what happens if he plays for the Mumbai Indians in their coming matches?

The Indian team's physio Nitin Patel is in the UAE and he may have given his report on Rohit's injury and recovery programme, but nothing of that was mentioned in the BCCI's media release.

Cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar called for 'transparency' with regards to Rohit's injury.

'I was shown something about him practicing at the nets for Mumbai Indians so I don't know what kind of injury it is. If the injury was serious he wouldn't even be padded up. So we are talking about a tour that starts at the end of November for the T20s and one-dayers, but the Test matches start around 17th of December which is a month-and-a-half away. And if he is practicing in the nets for Mumbai Indians then honestly don't know what kind of injury it is,' Gavaskar said on Star Sports.

'And I think a little bit of transparency, a little bit of openness about what actually is the problem with him will help everybody. Because the Indian cricket fan deserves to know more than anything else,' Gavaskar added.

'The franchises, I understand, they don't want to give their hand away because they are trying to win the game, they don't want to give the opposition any psychological advantage, but we're talking about an Indian team.'

The door is not yet shut on Rohit and the Sunil Joshi-led selection committee could yet add him to the touring party once they get the green light from the BCCI's medical team and the team mangement who all are now in the UAE.

A source close to Rohit told PTI that he is likely to play the game against Sunrisers Hyderabad on November 3, the last of the league games before the start of the playoffs.

'If Rohit can play during the last week of the IPL, that will be a good enough fitness test and then selectors can think of getting him back in the squad,' the source said.

Clearly, something seems to be amiss at this point.

And it Rohit does turn out for the Mumbai Indians in any of their remaining games and allay doubts about his fitness, then it will certainly force the selectors to have a rethink.