Rohit Sharma to take yo-yo test today; Ajinkya Rahane on standby

Rohit Sharma could find himself being ousted from the limited-overs Indian Cricket Team as well after being dropped from the Test side earlier this month, as he faces intense pressure to clear the now much-discussed yo-yo test by performing at par with the set benchmarks.

The pressure is heightened by the reported induction of test vice-captain and incumbent ODI opener Ajinkya Rahane as a stand-in for Rohit for the squad that will go to the UK for the tours of Ireland and England. Having failed to pass the test twice already during the IPL, Rohit is preparing to take the test at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru amidst clouds surrounding his fitness. He had taken prior permission from the BCCI for it to be conducted again on June 19th so as to allow him to train to meet the prerequisite parameter of a score of 16.1.

As reported by India Today, a Committee of Administrators member, Saba Karim, in capacity of General Manager explained why the tests were being conducted after the selections as opposed to normal protocols, that the situation had risen because tests could not be conducted in middle of IPL and the selections had to go ahead in that time itself.

Rohit might join the list of the unfortunate Yuvraj Singh (2017), Mohammad Shami and Sanju Samson (both this year) and most importantly Ambati Rayudu, whose stellar IPL returns had earned him a long-awaited recall to the limited overs side, as the players who have found themselves on the wrong side of the results of the yo-yo test.

While Shami's failure handed a chance to Delhi rookie seamer, Navdeep Saini to feature in the squad for the first time, Rayudu's absence for the same reason allowed the seasoned Suresh Raina to make a comeback to the one-day side after a 3-year absence.

Rohit's inability to feature on the tour might have serious implications on the squad formation as whoever will open in this series, will be looked on by the team management as the front-line opener for the all-important campaign next year in the form of the ICC Cricket World Cup.