Ishant Sharma could be ready to return to action in time for India’s Test series in Australia.
BCCI President Sourav Ganguly believes the fast bowler will be able to recover from his abdominal muscle tear before the Border-Gavaskar action on December 17.
India will play two white-ball series and two warm-up matches Down Under before the Tests get underway. That could give Sharma the time he needs to overcome injury.
The 32-year-old is currently in India rehabilitating at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru as he works to try and be ready for the Test series.
His return would be a big boost for India, especially if he could repeat his form the form he showed in Australia for the 2018/19 tour. He bagged 11 wickets from three Test matches during that series.
“Yes, we are expecting Ishant to be back for the Test matches,” Ganguly told PTI.
“He has already started bowling from shorter run-ups and short spells. He has bowled at NCA. But as there is a BCCI protocol for fast bowlers, Ishant will be playing the two first-class games in Australia.
“Injuries are a part of sport and it will happen. The lesser you play, the more injured you will get. The more you keep playing, your body gets fitter, stronger and you will get less injured,” he added.
“All of them came back after seven months of being locked at home with literally no activity. I don't think injuries should be looked at like ‘Oh god, something is not right'.
Rohit Plays If He's Fit
Meanwhile, Ganguly highlighted the need to protect Rohit Sharma from further injury.
The batsman’s participation in Australia is also in doubt following a hamstring issue.
Despite Rohit returning to play for Mumbai in the Indian Premier League, Ganguly believes his injury still needs to be monitored to avoid further problems.
However, he also underlined that he would play if he’s fit.
He said: “You don't want him to get injured again. He has a hamstring tear and it will get ruptured again. It will then get longer for him to come back.
“We will have to assess him. We want him to recover. It's the BCCI's job to get their best players on the park. If he recovers, he plays,” Ganguly said.
