Sachin Tendulkar advocated for Rohit Sharma’s presence in Australia “If Rohit passes all his fitness tests” for the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy series Down Under.

“I do not know the status of Rohit’s fitness. That is something BCCI and Rohit know, they are in touch with each other and so are the physios and team management,” Tendulkar told ANI.

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“They would be the ideal ones to answer this. If Rohit passes all his fitness Tests and is cleared, then a player like Rohit should be there in Australia. If he meets all the parameters then he should be there,” he added.

Rohit, who was initially left out of all the three Indian squads for the Australia tour, was included in the team for the four-match Test series. He will miss the limited-overs part of the tour due to an injury he suffered at the recently-concluded IPL.

However, it came to be known later that the 34-year-old would not be able to take part in the opening two Tests of the series.

His participation in the next two Tests has been put in dark as well, leading to confusion about his fitness and selection. Skipper Virat Kohli had also expressed his disappointment and talked about “confusion and lack of clarity” with Rohit’s selection in the team.

Rohit is currently believed at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) where he is recovering a hamstring injury he suffered during the IPL, where he led Mumbai Indians to their fifth title.

However, hours after Kohli complained about the limited-overs vice-captain’s availability, BCCI hastily tried to to put water into the fire and clarified why Rohit didn’t travel to Australia with the team.

“Rohit Sharma had to come back to Mumbai after the IPL to attend to his ailing father. His father is now recuperating well and that has allowed him to travel to the NCA and start his rehabilitation,” BCCI Secretary Jay Shah said in a statement after Kohli expressed his displeasure over the lack of information on Rohit’s fitness.

“He (Rohit) is presently undergoing rehabilitation at the NCA. Mr Rohit Sharma’s next assessment will be conducted on December 11th following which the BCCI will have clarity on his participation in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia,” the statement read.