Ishant Sharma ruled out of Australia Test series, final decision on Rohit Sharma on December 11

India's senior-most fast bowler Ishant Sharma has been ruled out of the upcoming Test matches against Australia as he will not be match-fit in time while Rohit Sharma's hamstring will have a final assessment on Dec. 11, said BCCI secretary Jay Shah on Thursday.

Around midnight, the BCCI issued a short injury update on the two senior players after a fiery online media interaction by captain Virat Kohli, who made his displeasure clear about the lack of communication and clarity on the whole issue.

While Kohli had raised a question as to why Rohit didn't do his rehabilitation in Australia along with Wriddhiman Saha, Shah in his press note clarified that the white ball vice-captain had come back to country to attend to his ailing father after which he reported to the NCA.

"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," said Shah. He also confirmed what skipper Kohli told the media about Rohit's injury status.

"He (Rohit) is presently undergoing rehabilitation at the NCA. Mr Rohit Sharma's next assessment will be conducted on Dec. 11 following which the BCCI will have clarity on his participation in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia."

It is understood that BCCI president Sourav Ganguly will request CA CEO Nick Hockley to ensure that, if he travels, Rohit can undergo a soft quarantine, which will allow him to train during the 14-day isolation period. As far as Ishant Sharma was concerned, Shah said that the lanky pacer had recovered from a side strain but would take time to attain peak match fitness. "Ishant has recovered completely from his side strain injury sustained during IPL 2020 in the UAE.

"While he is building up his workload in order to achieve Test match fitness, Ishant Sharma has been ruled out of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy."