Rohit Sharma won’t rule out return to top in Boxing Day Test

India’s veteran captain had a coy response when asked how him and Virat Kohli would turn around their fortunes at the MCG.

Indian captain Rohit Sharma is adamant his knee is “fine” as he leaves the door ajar to return to his opening role in the Boxing Day Test.

After missing the victory in Perth for the birth of his child, Rohit returned to the side at No. 6 to avoid disrupting the successful pairing of KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal, but returned scores of 3, 6 and 10 in Adelaide and Brisbane.

He was coy over whether India would again rejig its batting order in Melbourne as he also evaded questioning over the source of tension between the tourists and local media.

It came following a heated altercation between Virat Kohli and Australian television journalists when the squad arrived at Melbourne Airport, with Kohli remonstrating after believing his children had been filmed by cameras.

Indian captain Rohit Sharma (right) has left the door ajar to return to an opening spot in the Boxing Day Test. Picture: Patrick Hamilton / AFP

“Nah, I’m not aware of … what kind of treatment?,” he asked before shrugging off a question about whether he felt the touring side had been mistreated.

Rohit said India’s batting order was “not a thing I should be discussing”, as he remained open to moving elsewhere in the line-up.

“Let’s not worry about that … I think who bats where is something that we need to figure out within ourselves,” he said.

“It’s not a thing I should be discussing at every press conference, where I’ll be batting.

“Whatever it takes for our team to look good or gives us the best chance to succeed, we’ll try and do that.”

Rohit said he had no advice for the out-of-sorts Kohli, who has been dismissed flashing at wide deliveries for 7, 11 and 3 since his century in Perth.

“Modern-day greats will figure out their own way,” he said.

Rohit says Virat Kohli (pictured) will ‘figure out his own way’ out of a form slump since his brilliant century in Perth. Picture: Quinn Rooney / Getty Images

The captain did not rule out picking a second spinner alongside Ravindra Jadeja due to the hot conditions forecast in Melbourne.

It came as veteran fast bowler Mohammed Shami was ruled out of returning from a knee injury for the final two games of the series after he had mounted a comeback bid through domestic cricket.

“His left knee has exhibited minor swelling due to increased joint loading from his bowling workload. The swelling is on the expected lines, owing to the increased bowling after a prolonged period,” a BCCI statement read.

“Based on the current medical assessment, the BCCI medical team has determined that his knee requires more time for controlled exposure to bowling loads.

“Consequently, he has not been deemed fit for consideration for the remaining two Tests of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.”

A win in Melbourne would ensure India retained the Border-Gavaskar Trophy with at least a series draw.

Originally published as Rohit Sharma won’t rule out return to top in Boxing Day Test