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Shami has not played competitive cricket since his stellar exploits in the 2023 ODI World Cup.
Veteran pacer, Mohammed Shami has unfortunately missed out on the call-up for India’s tour to Australia for the upcoming Border-Gavaskar series, set to begin on November, later this year.
Shami has not played competitive cricket since his stellar exploits in the 2023 ODI World Cup. He has since been sidelined due to an ankle injury for which he had undergone surgery as well. He had a fantastic campaign in the ODI showpiece event where he finished as the highest wicket-taker in the tournament with 24 wickets in 7 games, breaking many records in the process.
Earlier reports suggested that the BCCI would look to bring Shami into the squad for the ongoing New Zealand series but his recovery is yet to be complete and the Indian cricket board might not want to take any additional risks.
In fact, the Indian skipper, Rohit Sharma prior to the New Zealand series also confirmed his intentions of not wanting to take an ‘undercooked’ Shami to Australia as well.
His road to recovery also hit a massive snag as it was reported by Times of India (TOI) that Shami’s right knee had flared up and was swollen which could have resulted in his snub from the Indian side.
Many videos have shown that the Indian pacer was back to bowling in the nets. In fact, Shami was seen bowling to the Indian batting coach, Abhishek Nayar following the opening Test against New Zealand in Bengaluru as well.
Shami’s absence from the Indian side will go well over a year following the Border-Gavaskar series and it remains to be seen whether the Indian pacer can make his return to the side or whether his international cricketing career would come to a standstill.
The Indian pace-bowling unit is currently led by Jasprit Bumrah along with Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep. The likes of Prasidh Krishna and Harshit Rana have also been included in the 18-man squad. The trio of Mukesh Kumar, Navdeep Saini and Khaleel Ahmed will also make the trip as the reserve members.
Team India will hope that the squad will not miss the experience of Shami who has played in Australian conditions as they take on the mighty Aussies on their home turf.