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Sourav Ganguly Reveals Fitness Status Of Rohit Sharma Wriddhiman Saha

Sourav Ganguly reveals fitness status of Rohit Sharma, Wriddhiman Saha

IPL winning captain of the Mumbai Indians and Indian batting star Rohit Sharma is only 70 per cent fit and that was the reason why the selectors are not risking him for the limited-overs series in Australia albeit he has been added into the Test squad for the series starting December 17, BCCI President Sourav Ganguly has revealed.

“Rohit is still 70 per cent. Why don't you find out from Rohit himself? That is why he is still not picked for the ODIs and T20s down under. He has been added to the Test squad," Ganguly said in an interview with The Week magazine.

Rohit Sharma had made a surprising comeback into the Mumbai Indians’ playing XI after national selectors had raised doubts over his fitness and said that he was under the watch of the BCCI medical team. His presence for his franchise and omission from the squads for the tour of Australian raised many eyebrows before the selectors announced his addition into the Test squad. However, the mystery surrounding his hamstring injury that he had picked up while running on October 18 in the game against the Kings XI Punjab remained deepened as people argued his presence in the IPL and absence from limited-overs series Down Under.

Earlier, Sourav Ganguly had also cautioned Rohit Sharma against rushing in to play before fully recovering from injury calling that he has a big and long career ahead of him and that the IPL 2020 and the subsequent Australia series were not the end of his cricket career.

Ganguly also defended the alleged opacity regarding the nature of injuries to Indian players calling people unaware of the functioning of the board and its different functionaries. With the reference to the hamstring injury to India’s Test wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha, Ganguly said that the BCCI, physios and the team management are having all the necessary details regarding Saha’s injury.

"Who should know? We know, the Indian physio knows, the NCA knows. I think people don't know how the BCCI works. The BCCI trainers, physio and Wriddhi himself know that he has two hamstring issues. People don't understand injuries, that is why they talk rubbish,” Ganguly said in his typical no holds barred manner.

Ganguly also said that Saha will be fit for the Test series as he is not part of the limited-overs series and Test series will begin only mid next month.

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Justin Langer rates Virat Kohli as 'probably the best player' he has seen

As the Indian team embarked on a two-month long tour to Australia for a full series, skipper Virat Kohli started getting all the limelight much before his bat could start talking, due to his paternity leave. But, Australian head coach Justin Langer has given Virat Kohli accolades for his batting and rated him probably the best batsmen he has watched all his life. Langer, who himself had a shining career at the top of the order for Australia also hailed Kohli for his passion and love for the game, which the Indian captain put on display while folding. "Virat Kohli is probably the best player I've ever seen in my life for so many reasons, not only batting but his energy and passion for the game, the way he fields," Langer told reporters in a virtual conference. The leave sought by Kohli will see him miss the last three Tests of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy scheduled to begin on December 17 in Adelaide. But, Langer saw an emotional part of Virat Kohli behind the decision-making process to leave the series after just one game. Langer said he too would have advised his players to not miss the birth of their first child as the moment is one of the greatest in a human's life. "He's a human being like all of us... if I was giving advice to any of my players I would always say never ever miss the birth of your children because it is one of the great things you'll ever do," Langer said further. Discussing the impact that Virat Kohli’s absence will leave on the widely-anticipated Test series, Langer reminded his team about the defeat they faced the last time the sides met in Australia and warned his players to not get complacent in his absence as Indian Test team will still pose a formidable challenge. "Of course it will have an impact, but we also know that India beat us last time. They're a very, very good team, we cannot get complacent for a second with or without Virat," Langer added in his remarks on the build-up to the series against India. Vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane is likely to lead the side in absence of Virat Kohli while Rohit Sharma will join the squad in Australia for the Test series only. The absence of Virat Kohli will be a big factor and it will be a tough series for the Indian side to compete against an all-strong Australian side with the likes of Steve Smith and David Warner who had missed the last series between the sides.

Australia's coach Justin Langer backs out of form Joe Burns for India series

With the competition for an opener slot in the Australian Test team heating up between the incumbent Joe Burns and prodigy Will Pucovski, head coach Justin Langer has come in support of Joe Burns and said that the right-hander had formed nice chemistry with David Warner who is certain to feature in the playing XI in the first test against India in the Day-Night Test in Adelaide. Langer said that the opening pair of Warner and Burns worked well for the team the last series they played together and hinted that he is in no mood to fix something not broken. "Last time we played Test cricket, we loved the combination of Joe Burns and David Warner. They've got real synergy or chemistry. They work well together. So, at this point I'll say that that'll remain the same," Langer said. Langer batted for consistency in selection and warned against underestimating the role of these partnerships and consistency in picking players does to the performance of the team. He listed the successes of the pair in the last summer and how it did shape the Australian team in becoming the number 1 ranked side in the world. "There used to be a saying that it's harder to get out of the side than it is to get into the Australian cricket team. It's actually really important because when guys have done a really good job for us - like in this case that Joe and Davey did for us last summer, there's a reason we're ranked the No.1 Team in Test cricket at the moment. Those sorts of partnerships are really important, so we should never underestimate that," Langer added. Earlier yesterday, selectors picked 22-year-old Will Pucovski who has been in red-hot form in the first round of the Sheffield Season piling up two consecutive double centuries. On the other hand, Joe Burns has not been in good touch in the last few innings and Australia A fixture against Indian team would have determined the fate of Burns over Pucovski for their place in playing XI in the Adelaide Test. Langer’s backing will send some sense of relief to Burns but he would not like the prospect of walking into the big game against India with lack of runs and subsequent short on confidence.

NZ vs WI: Windies cleared to train after third negative COVID-19 test

After showing negative results for the third round of Covid-19 testing, the West Indies side has been cleared to leave the biosecure bubble they were in since their arrival in New Zealand. Earlier, the team was reprimanded by the local Ministry of Health for breaching the coronavirus containment protocols and was barred from training. Windies contingent who had reached the country directly from the Island nation will now travel to Queenstown on November 13 for a pair of scheduled warm-up games before the commencement of the T20 series. West Indies coach Phil Simmons had come forward and apologised for the lapses made by the Windies side. He apologised to the New Zealand government and the public who allowed them the chance to come to the country to play cricket. He called the lapses embarrassing for the West Indies team and management. Meanwhile, players from both New Zealand and West Indies who were part of the Indian Premier League have arrived from the United Arab Emirates and New Zealand Cricket has said that all of them passed the initial round of screening. They too will have to spend a period of 14 days in isolation in Christchurch before they could hit the ground in a bid to prepare for the series. The Blackcaps and Windies are set to lock horns for a three-match T20 series scheduled to start from November 27 which will be followed by a two-match Test series beginning on December 03.

Roston Chase replaces Kraigg Brathwaite as West Indies Test vice-captain

West Indies have appointed all-rounder Roston Chase as the new vice-captain of the Test side. Chase will replace batsman Kraigg Brathwaite who had been deputy to skipper Jason Holder previously. The move comes ahead of the start of the New Zealand series on 27th November in Auckland in form of a T20I. The first Test however brings on 3rd December. The Windies lead selector Roger Harper heaped praises on the Barbadian saying, "He is an experienced player who is tactically aware and very purposeful in his approach to the game. He is readily willing to offer advice and discuss ideas with his fellow players and the coaches and I think will offer good leadership support to captain Jason Holder both on and off the field." Chase, 28 has played 35 Tests for the country, and with 1852; he is on his way to completing 2000 Test runs. The all-rounder is more than just effective with the ball as he has picked up 69 Test wickets with an average of 41.15. Chase was happy with the opportunity and called it an achievement in just four years of International cricket. "I have been making strides in Test cricket since my debut back in 2016 and I see this new role as vice-captain as an honour," he said. "It is just for me to try and carry on and try to achieve great things for West Indies. It is all about offering support to the captain, coach, and other players as we try to plan strategy and put more wins on the board," Chase indicated about his role in the team. Nicholas Pooran remained deputy to Kieron Pollard for the limited overs.