New Delhi: India have been handed a huge blow ahead of the upcoming three-match Test series against New Zealand which gets underway on October 16. Senior pacer Mohammed Shami has reportedly suffered a fresh knee issue which can keep him out of action for several weeks. Shami had recently recovered after an Achilles tendon surgery in February and was undergoing rehab at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru.
As per a report in the Times of India, Shami developed ‘swollen knees’ during his rehab at the NCA and he is likely to be out for another 6-8 weeks. The fresh injury blow to the pacer not only threatens his participation in the New Zealand Test series but also puts him in doubt for the highly-anticipated Border-Gavaskar Trophy between India and Australia which is scheduled to start from November 22 in Perth.
Shami has been under the watch of the NCA medical team as he was undergoing rehab after his surgery. He had also resumed bowling and looked well on course to make his comeback for India in the Test series against New Zealand. However, his latest knee issue can delay his return for a significant period.
“Shami had resumed bowling and he was looking on track to make a comeback to competitive cricket soon. But this knee injury has flared up recently. BCCI’s medical team is assessing the injury but it may require quite a bit of time,” a BCCI source was quoted as saying by the Times of India.
Shami aggravated his injury during the 2023 ODI World Cup last year where he finished as the highest wicket-taker despite playing just seven matches for India. His last appearance for the Indian team was in the ODI World Cup as he underwent surgery for his injury in February. His workload was being managed during rehab and the pacer was being looked after by the head of the BCCI medical team Nitin Patel.
What Mohammed Shami’s fresh injury blow means for India?
Shami’s fresh injury blow is set to increase the selectors’ headache ahead of the three-match Test series between India and New Zealand which will be preceded by the five-match Test series in Australia. The selectors could have given rest to premier pacer Jasprit Bumrah from the New Zealand series had Shami returned to full fitness and been included in the Test squad.
Bumrah has been India’s pace spearhead across formats and managing his workload is imperative for the Indian team ahead of the all-important Test series against Australia Down Under. However, with no Shami in the mix, it remains to be seen if Bumrah will be retained in the squad for the New Zealand series.
If the selectors decide to rest Bumrah, the likes of Mukesh Kumar, Yash Dayal can be called back for the New Zealand series. The duo can partner Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep in the pace attack against the Kiwis. Bumrah can also be named in the squad for the New Zealand series and might not play all three matches to manage his workload.
India have suffered a huge blow ahead of the upcoming Test series against New Zealand and the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia as Mohammed Shami has suffered a fresh knee injury during his rehab. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
