Mohd Shami clears the fitness test, Siraj & Shardul fly to Australia as reserves: In an important development, veteran quick bowler Mohammad Shami has cleared the fitness test at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) and is now almost set to replace Jasprit Bumrah in the Indian squad for the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022.
It’s important to note that the BCCI hasn’t named any replacement for injured Jasprit Bumrah yet. The deadline to announce the replacement has been further pushed under special dispensation from the ICC.
A member of the selection committee confirmed that Shami is fine to go and had a few very good practice sessions.
“Shami is fit and fine to go. He had a few good sessions. What he lacks is match practice and we have to bank on the two warm-up games to get him at 100%. It’s a big challenge but he is an experienced bowler and knows what is needed,” a member of the selection committee told InsideSport.
Notably, the right arm-pacer hasn’t featured in any international T20 game since last year’s T20 World Cup in UAE. His latest T20 appearance came for Gujarat Titans (GT) in the Tata IPL 2022.
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His lack of match practice will be an issue for the Indian management. However, to get a better idea of how Shami is doing, India will test him in the two warm-up matches scheduled against Australia and New Zealand on October 17 and 19 in the Gabba, Brisbane.
Meanwhile, it has been reported that Mohammad Siraj and Shardul Thakur will also travel to Australia as the reserve players. The two aforementioned will be joined by Shreyas Iyer and Ravi Bishnoi. All the players will board a flight to Down Under on October 13.
Deepak Chahar has also been ruled out of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 after suffering a back injury. A report in India Today confirmed that due to fitness issues, Chahar has been dropped from the plans and all-rounder Shardul Thakur has been roped into the side as his replacement.
The official statement from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is yet to come.
ALSO READ: Deepak Chahar ruled out of T20 World Cup due to an injury – BCCI announces replacement
