Rohit Sharma To Join Team India On Wednesday, MCG To Host Third Test: Report

Indian opener Rohit Sharma will fly from Sydney on Wednesday (December 30) and join the rest of the team in Melbourne ahead of the third Test.  Currently in the mandatory 14-day quarantine, the India batting star had in Australia on December 16 after clearing his fitness test at the National Cricket Academy, Bengaluru.

He was recovering from the calf injury he had sustained while playing in the Indian Premier League. The injury ruled him out of the limited-overs series as well as the first two Tests in Australia. According to a report in ANI, sources in the know of developments within Cricket Australia (CA) said Rohit Sharma will be flown in to Melbourne and will enter Team India’s bio-bubble on Wednesday.

“Yes, he will be flown to Melbourne by CA on Wednesday as the third game is almost set to take place at the MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground) with an eye on the coronavirus outbreak,” the source told the news outlet.

Melbourne to host third Test:

In another development, the third Test of the series is also set to be played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the venue for the ongoing Boxing Day Tests. The third Test was originally scheduled to be played in Sydney but Cricket Australia have been compelled to shift the venue due to the recent COVID-19 outbreak.

Last week, CA’s interim CEO Nick Hockley had said they have “strong contingency plans in place” if the situation in Sydney deteriorates while reiterating that everyone’s wellbeing is their “number one priority”. Hockley had said a final decision on the third Test venue would be made during the Boxing Day Test.

“Should the public health situation in NSW render playing in Sydney untenable, CA’s preferred contingency plan is to work with the Victorian Government to play the third Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground followed by the fourth Test at the Gabba,” CA said.

“We have always maintained that scheduling a full summer of cricket during a global pandemic would require agility, problem-solving and teamwork like never before. We continue to place the safety and wellbeing of everyone involved as our number one priority. The record testing numbers and the drop in new community transmissions in NSW have provided use for optimism, however, if the situation in Sydney deteriorates, we have strong contingency plans in place,” Hockley had said in a statement.

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