Indian pacer Mohammed Shami, who took seven wickets in his return Ranji Trophy match for Bengal against Madhya Pradesh after being sidelined for almost a year due to injury, is unlikely to travel to Australia anytime soon.
As reported by the Times of India on November 27, despite speculation about Shami’s inclusion in the Indian squad for the remaining four Tests against Australia, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has no plans to send him to Australia in the near future.
Shami is currently featuring in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy for Bengal, where he has taken four wickets in two matches. In the tournament opener against Punjab, he returned figures of 1/46 from four overs, and in the second match against Hyderabad on November 25 in Rajkot, he claimed three wickets for 21 runs in 3.3 overs.
Shami’s most recent red-ball match for India was in June 2023 against Australia at The Oval
According to available information, there have been no discussions about sending Shami to Australia at this time, as the board is satisfied with the performance of the fast bowlers already selected for the five-match series.
“There has been no conversation around trying to send Shami to Australia, at least for now. At the moment, the fast bowlers chosen for the tour and the first XI in the opening Test at Perth are doing their job very well,” a BCCI source was quoted as saying.
In the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which India won by 295 runs in Perth on November 25, Indian fast bowlers, led by stand-in captain Jasprit Bumrah, claimed a total of 18 wickets. Bumrah took 8 wickets (5+3), while Mohammed Siraj finished with 5 wickets (2+3).
On his international debut for India, 22-year-old pacer Harshit Rana took three wickets in the first innings and one in the second, while Andhra all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy claimed one wicket in the second innings.
In addition to the three pacers in the playing XI for the first Test, India also has Akash Deep and Prasidh Krishna in the squad.
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