On Monday, the BCCI announced the Indian T20, ODI, and Test squads for the upcoming tour to Australia 2020, with the selections throwing up several surprises. India are will be touring Down Under later this year in what will be the cricket team’s first international tour after the coronavirus-enforced lockdown, where they will be playing three T20Is, three ODIs and four Test matches against Australia.

The biggest surprise of the announcement of the Indain squads is the absence of star opener Rohit Sharma, with Ishant Sharma not featuring in the Test squad as well. Rohit has already been missing the last two IPL 2020 matches for Mumbai Indians with an injury, with no official confirmation over his comeback.

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Sharma sustained the injury during the game against KXIP and has not taken to the field since then. Multiple media reports suggested that the hamstring injury means that the player is likely to miss the entire edition of the T20 extravaganza as well. 

I guess the fact that Rohit Sharma may not be fit enough to even play the tests in mid December would suggest he won't be part of the IPL anymore. His fitness is being monitored but with quarantine and travel restrictions, it seems unlikely. What a pity!

— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) October 26, 2020

After the squad selection, it was revealed that the BCCI medical team will be continuously monitoring the fitness of Rohit before taking a final call. This is the second time this year that the 33-year-old has had to miss a couple of games due to injury. Sharma flew back early from India’s tour of New Zealand at the start of the year after sustaining an injury.

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As Rohit was excluded from the Indian squad, a lot of his fans and pundits took to Twitter to react to the development. Many fans shared Rohit Sharma’s recent record in limited-overs cricket, as they claimed that the batsman would be heavily missed during the tour. Several other fans also speculated about Sharma’s replacement in the starting 11, with cricket fans suggesting that KL Rahul should open the innings instead.

Here are some of the reactions:

Rohit Sharma before Every Overseas Series :pic.twitter.com/6qrRdMkE6S

— Pranjal (@Pranjal_one8) October 26, 2020

Australian team after knowing that Rohit Sharma will be unavailable in upcoming series pic.twitter.com/g8bp2p8UBJ

— SARCASTICDESI 🇮🇳 (@Sach_in_Rajput_) October 26, 2020

Blast The Retweet 🔁 Button If You Miss Hitman Tonight !!!

📸:@ImRo45 / #RRvMI pic.twitter.com/2cmRYzqEhN

— Ritika Sajdeh Team (@ImRitika45) October 25, 2020