Rohit Sharma to join India squad in Australia only for the Test series: Report

Talismanic Rohit Sharma will not be part of the Indian squadron that will fly from Dubai to Sydney on Wednesday for the much-anticipated tour down under. 

Instead, Sharma, who led the Mumbai Indians to their record fifth IPL title on Tuesday, will return to India to complete his recovery from the hamstring injury he suffered during the tournament in the UAE.

Earlier, the BCCI had left out the Nagpur-born from all the three formats for the Australia tour, starting November 27, owing to the hamstring tear that Sharma suffered in his left leg while running between the wickets against Kings XI Punjab.

The Mumbai skipper had to miss the next four matches only before returning to play in their last league match, the Qualifier 1 and then the IPL final, where he amassed 68 runs in 51 balls to take his side over the line.

However, on November 9, a day before the IPL final, the selectors informed that Sharma was only giving the white-ball matches a miss to regain his fitness and will be available for the Test series, which begins in Adelaide on December 17.

This comes as a huge boost to the Indian players and fans as the side will be without their skipper Virat Kohli for the final three tests. 

Earlier, Kohli was granted paternity leave following the first Test in Adelaide. 

As reported, with the stringent protocols in-place in Australia, it is understood that Kohli will not rejoin the Indian team after the birth of his first child around early January.

Meanwhile, Sharma is expected to undergo his rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru where ace pacer Ishant Sharma too is working on his fitness to join the Test squad at the earliest. 

India will play three ODIs, three T20Is and four Tests — including a highly anticipated pink-ball test.