According to the latest reports of the Mumbai Mirror, the Indian veterans, Rohit Sharma and Ishant Sharma can be expected to miss the complete tour to Australia. Neither of them will be able to make it to Team India to take part in the Test series in December-January. Mirror has learned that the veteran Indian players will not be able to recover in time for the four-match Test series from December 17 to January 19 in Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane.

The two have been undergoing rehab at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bangalore for different periods and the report is learned to be not so encouraging. A meeting of the experts of the NCA is understood to have taken place recently when the fitness status of the duo was discussed and then informally conveyed to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), national selectors, and the team-management.

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Describing the same, during a chat with ABC Sports, the Indian head coach, Ravi Shastri said, “He (Rohit) was never going to play the white-ball series, they were just looking to see how long he needed the rest because you can’t afford to be resting for too long. If you need to play in the Test series or any red-ball cricket, you’ve got to be on the flight in the next three or four days. If you aren’t, then it’s going to be tough.”

He further added, “It’s a similar case (Ishant’s injury) to Rohit. You don’t really know how quickly he’ll be available to fly out. Like I said, if anyone has to play in the Test series, he has to be on the flight in the next four or five days. Otherwise, it’s very difficult.”

The team management is believed to have clarified that the duo should be sent only if they are fully fit – that is after they’ve achieved the desired fitness levels required for international duty as opposed to that in the IPL, which Rohit played recently.

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Besides, they also factored in the 14-day quarantine which means full confinement in Australia. The Indian cricketers, having travelled from the IPL bubble to Australia, are being allowed to practise during quarantine. The same privilege may not be extended to Rohit and Ishant. Chief selector Sunil Joshi did not respond to a message from this paper.