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'Mohammed Shami Is A Big Loss': Australia Coach Starts Playing Mind Games Before BGT 2024

Rajgeeta∙ Updated: Oct 27 2024, 4:10 PM

Mohammed Shami has been excluded [Source: @KnightClub_KKR/X.com]Mohammed Shami has been excluded [Source: @KnightClub_KKR/X.com]

The Border-Gavaskar Trophy is just around the corner, and Indian cricket is facing a significant challenge with the absence of star pacer Mohammed Shami. On October 25, the BCCI announced that the Indian squad for the Test series in Australia does not include Shami, who has been ruled out due to ongoing fitness issues. While the BCCI may consider a last-minute inclusion, as it stands, Shami’s absence is a major blow for the team.

Mohammed Shami has been a key player for India, especially during the 2018 tour of Australia, where he played a crucial role in the team's success. Unfortunately, he has not played since the ODI World Cup 2023 final last November due to an ankle injury that required surgery. His recovery has been hampered by swelling in his knees, which has hindered his rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy (NCA). 

Australian head coach Andrew McDonald has publicly acknowledged the loss of Shami as significant for India. He stated, “Mohammed Shami is a big loss.” 

“The way our batters speak about his relentless nature, his line and lengths, the way he goes about his business, a real good complimenting skill set to Bumrah so think that one-two combo they’ll lack a little bit, and they’ll miss that,” he said.

“But needless to say we saw what happened last time, they had reserves that came in and did the job as well so they cannot be underestimated at all,” he added.

India Bring In New Faces In The Squad

In Shami's absence, India have called up new talent to fill the void. IPL emerging stars Harshit Rana and Nitish Kumar Reddy will make their debut in the five-Test series, joining other pace options like Akash Deep and Prasidh Krishna.

Talking about Shami, the star pacer is likely to return to action in the Ranji Trophy for Bengal's upcoming matches against Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh.