Mumbai: Indian cricket star Rohit Sharma is all set to make a comeback after recovering from a leg-injury, as reports surfaced, suggesting that he may be called up for Mumbai's Ranji semifinal clash against Tamil Nadu.
Sharma couldn’t feature in the five-Test series between India and England after going under the knife, earlier this year.
The 29-year-old was in good form before he got injured, scoring three fifties in the three-Test series against New Zealand, with an impressive average of 79.33.
He did well in the ODI series against New Zealand as well, having scored a crucial 70 in the deciding fifth ODI at Vizag. He has been out of action since then.
His performances before he got injured suggest that he is set to be recalled to the Indian squad for the three-ODI and three-T20 series against England, starting with a fifty-over match in Pune, on Sunday, December 15.
However, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has set a policy of not picking players, who have not played official cricket matches, in the national squad.
With there being some time left for the ODI series against England to begin, a couple of good knocks in the Ranji Trophy could put Rohit right back into contention for selection in the national team.
The semi-final between Mumbai and Tamil Nadu is set to get underway on January 1, 2017, in Rajkot.
India are currently in the middle of a long home season, which comprises of as many as 13 Tests. With the series against Bangladesh and Australia coming up after the England limited overs matches, Rohit’s return from injury will serve as a real boost for Team India.
Key players Indian cricketers like Mohammed Shami and Jayant Yadav have been ruled out of the England limited overs series due to injuries, while spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja are set to be rested for the shorter versions of the game.
One factor that could really help Rohit’s push for a comeback into the Indian side is that senior batsman Ajinkya Rahane is currently racing against time to recover from a finger injury that has kept him out of action in the last two Tests against England, in Mumbai and Chennai, respectively.
However, Rohit could face stiff competition from 25-year-old batsman Karun Nair, who scored an unbeaten 303 on his debut, in Chennai, against England.
