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Rohit Sharma to play Vijay Hazare to prove fitness

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Rohit Sharma has been out of action since suffering a thigh injury in October © Cricbuzz

Rohit Sharma is set to be back on the field when he comes out to play for Mumbai in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy clashes, the India limited-overs opener confirmed on Wednesday (March 1). Rohit will play the games against Andhra and Goa in Chennai on March 4 and 6.

The move will also help him prove his fitness following a lengthy absence. Rohit, who suffered a thigh injury during the fifth and final One-Day International against New Zealand in Visakhapatnam, has been out of action since October last year and has been undergoing rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru after a surgery in London.

Meanwhile, Dhawal Kulkarni, who has recovered from his hamstring injury, will also be joining the squad.

All players, who have been out with injuries, are now required to prove their fitness by playing domestic cricket since the time the new team management, under Anil Kumble, took over. The India coach has before urged the players to ease into the game and not rush back.

"When you're injured, what is most important for a coach to communicate to them is not to look at coming back quickly because that's not going to help that particular individual and also it might let the team down," he had said. "So it's important that the injured players come back when they feel 100% right. Probably play one domestic game and seen how they go rather than test them out here.

"That's the kind of protocols we have set - if someone's injured, he goes back and plays domestic cricket, if there is a domestic competition happening, so that he plays under pressure and then comes in. If there is an emergency or a case-to-case basis, we may change that. But overall, we have set certain protocols and I'm glad that everyone is following that."

It will be interesting to see if Rohit is picked in the Indian squad for the last two Tests against Australia in Ranchi and Dharamsala. If he isn't, his next assignment will be with the Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League.

© Cricbuzz

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