IND vs ENG 5th Test: Why Rohit Sharma did not take field on Day 3? Will India captain miss IPL 2024?

Rohit Sharma did not take field on Day 3 of the ongoing fifth and final Test in Dharamsala due to a stiff back. Jasprit Bumrah led India in his absence.

The India captain slammed his 12th Test hundred on Friday, scoring 103 runs off 162 balls. This was Rohit Sharma’s 43rd hundred as an opener, third-most after Sachin Tendulkar and David warner. The 36-year-old is now tied with Rahul Dravid in the list of Indian batters with most international hundred. The captain and coach duo have 48 international tons each.

The stellar knock which consisted of 13 fours and three sixes helped India finish their first innings at 477 and take a 259-run first innings lead. In the ongoing series, Rohit Sharma stepped up as a leader in the absence of senior batters like Virat Kohli and KL Rahul, scoring 400 runs at an average of 44.44 in nine innings.

Rohit Sharma was seen watching proceedings from the dressing room on Day 3. The Indian team under vice-captain Bumrah ran riot once again, reducing England to 141/8. Ravichandran Ashwin, who is playing his 100th Test, picked a five-wicket haul.

Will Rohit Sharma not play in IPL 2024?

The injury setback has left the Mumbai Indians (MI) fan sweating ahead of the IPL 2024. Notably, Rohit has been replaced by Hardik Pandya as the captain of Mumbai Indians.

As per reports all is not well in the Mumbai Indians dressing room after the management traded Hardik Pandya from Gujarat Titans (GT) and appointed him the captain. There were cryptic social media posts from the likes of Mumbai Indians player Suryakumar Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah after the big announcement by the five-time champions.

Recently, MI head coach Mark Boucher was heard saying in a podcast that the management called for a change in guards so that Rohit Sharma can enjoy and concentrate only on his batting.

“We want to see him playing with a smile on his face, spending a bit of time with his beautiful family,” Boucher had told SmashSports podcast.

Unimpressed with the logic, Rohit’s wife Ritika had written, “So many things wrong with this,” in the comments section of the SmashSports podcast on Instagram.

Fans have also expressed their anger towards the franchise decision, and many have even unfollowed the social media pages of the franchise.

However, with the T20 World Cup 2024 approaching, Rohit Sharma would not want to miss any opportunity to warm up for the marquee event which starts from June 1. BCCI secretary Jay Shah has already declared that Rohit Sharma will lead the Indian Team at the T20 World Cup 2024.

Rohit Sharma has most likely taken a precautionary measure, and will look to recover on time for Hardik Pandya-led Mumbai Indians in IPL 2024.