Rohit Sharma, who will captain India in the T20I series against Bangladesh, has assured Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Sourav Ganguly that his team is ready to play Sunday’s opening match despite growing concerns about severe air pollution in the National Capital Region.
While the Bangladeshi players wore anti-pollution masks during the fielding session on Friday morning, there was no such concerns for the Indian team as it practised in the afternoon.
“The BCCI president called the team to check on its well being. Sourav had a discussion with stand-in skipper Rohit on how the team is coping up with the situation. The India captain has confirmed that the team was fine and had a full outdoor training session without any issue,” a BCCI source said.
Meanwhile, the Central Pollution Control Board has advised the Delhi and Districts Cricket Association (DDCA) to “wash trees inside the Feroz Shah Kotla premises” and “track polluting items within its 2 km radius” ahead of the game.
Hit but fit
Rohit was hit on his left abdomen during a net session, but was declared “fit and available” for the first T20I. He received the blow early into the net session while taking throwdowns.
After a few throwdowns, one sharp delivery hit Rohit on the inside region of his left thigh. He immediately left the nets and it was visible that he wasn’t happy with the pace at which the throwdown delivery was hurled at him.
“Rohit Sharma was hit on the left side of his abdomen while batting in the nets today. The BCCI medical team has confirmed that he is fit and available for the first T20 after assessment of his injury,” the BCCI media manager issued a statement on behalf of the team.
The Indian team has a designated a left-arm throwdown expert in Sri Lanka’s Nuwan Seneviratne to counter left-arm seamers in the opposition. It was learnt that Rohit was taking treatment for the blow and didn’t take further part in the net session.
The practice session was also a good enough indicator that Sanju Samson will not be keeping wickets and No.1 choice Rishabh Pant was seen devoting extra time to his glove work.
