'If he is unwell then what is he doing inside the stadium?' - Virender Sehwag questions Rohit Sharma's presence in MI dugout

Former India cricketer Virender Sehwag has criticised the selectors for not naming Rohit Sharma in the India squads for the upcoming tour of Australia. The selectors announced the ODI, T20I and Test squads on Monday and Rohit’s name was surprisingly missing from all of them. The reason behind his absence was the hamstring injury he had sustained while playing against Kings XI Punjab earlier this month.

After announcing the squads, the BCCI had stated that its medical team would continue to monitor Rohit and senior pacer Ishant Sharma’s injuries. But while Ishant is back at the National Cricket Academy for his rehabilitation programme, Rohit is still with the Mumbai Indians squad in UAE. And as if that was not enough, the franchise raised a number of eyebrows by announcing that the batsman has returned to training.

Soon after the squads were announced, Mumbai Indians took to their social media accounts to post pictures and video of Rohit batting in the nets. Mumbai Indians’ announcement has further added to the confusion surrounding Rohit’s injury as several former players and fans have called for clarity on the same.

Virender Sehwag, on his part, said that it was a bit harsh to not select Rohit Sharma based on the current state of his injury, given the fact that this is a long tour. The former cricketer explained how the former selectors decided about such cases during his time as he criticised the latest decision from the Sunil Joshi-led selection panel.

“During my playing days, when Srikkanth was the chairman of selectors, if a player was injured on the day of selection then he was not picked. But this is a long tour and Rohit Sharma is an important player, so if he has not been picked keeping in mind his injury status today then I guess it is a bit harsh on him,” Sehwag told Cricbuzz in a video that was posted on Tuesday.

If he’s unwell then he should be on bed rest, says Virender Sehwag

Virender Sehwag further expressed his surprise over the way the entire episode has unfolded. The batting legend opined that there needs to be more clarity on the nature of Rohit’s injury. He also questioned his presence with the Mumbai Indians camp despite the injury before asking the franchise to issue an statement. He also fell that Rohit could himself end the confusion with a post on social media.

“Even I have no update on Rohit Sharma’s injury status. The media should ask this question. Earlier it was told that he is unwell, if he is unwell then what is he doing inside the stadium. He was seen during both matches. If he is unwell then he should be on bed rest to recover as soon as possible. So, clearly he is not unwell,” Sehwag said.

“In that case the franchise should give a statement about the nature of his injury. A video was shared by Mumbai Indians of him practicing, which clearly shows he is trying to get back to fitness but there needs to be a statement. These days you don’t even need a statement, he has his social media where he can just put a line about his condition,” he added.

Meanwhile, India have named KL Rahul as the vice-captain of the T20I and the ODI sides in absence of Rohit. The tour of Australia will begin with the ODI leg followed by the T20Is. The Test series gets underway on December 17.