Mohit Sharma Best Man to Replace Injured Ishant Sharma in World Cup Squad
Mohit Sharma was part of India's tri-nation series campaign. He played the all-important ODI versus England that India lost and failed to qualify for the final against Australia
Mohit Sharma could sneak into the Team India squad if Ishant Sharma fails a fitness test later this week. Initially picked for the tri-nation series along with Dhawal Kulkarni, Mohit Sharma played the all-important ODI versus England in Perth. India lost the match but Mohit's performance with the ball was impressive in a low-scoring game. (India aim for third World Cup)
When the Indian selectors picked the Indian squad for the World Cup, Mohit had failed to make the cut. The Chennai Super Kings all-rounder has been a Sunil Gavaskar favourite because Mohit backs up his bowling skills with his good fielding. Considering that Mohit can bat too, Gavaskar found Ishant, a relatively poor fielder, a "liability."
Ishant has been out of action for more than four weeks now and that doesn't augur well for India ahead of the World Cup. He was in skipper MS Dhoni's plans for the tri-series but missed the games due to knee problems. Mohit's inclusion in the Perth ODI only suggested that he was being seen as a replacement. (Dhoni opens World Cup doors for Mohit Sharma, Dhawal Kulkarni)
India, unlike other top World Cup contenders, prefer to be secretive about players' fitness. Dhoni doesn't seem to be very clear too. "According to the physio, he may be fit in the next four days. That's what they are saying. Apart from that, I am not a physio, I don't know. I just ask him who all are available and he tells me who are the guys who are available," Dhoni said after the Perth defeat last week.
Not only Ishant, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Rohit Sharma are also fighting to be match fit. Rohit seems to be recovering well, but Ishant remains a concern. A temporary return to fitness is not good for the team. It is better to go with a fitter player, even if that means missing your most experienced pacer in the squad. India play a set of warm-up games - versus Australia on February 8 and against Afghanistan on February 10.
A lot will now depend on physio Nitin Patel's assessment on the players fitness.