In a colossal blow to the Indian National Cricket Team, top-order right-arm spinner Mohammed Shami has been ruled out of the home Test series against the New Zealand National Cricket Team, according to a report in Sportskeeda.
The 34-year-old has not played competitive cricket since his appearance for the Indian team on November 19, 2023, at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, where India lost the final of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 against the Australian National Cricket Team.
Mohammed Shami’s prolonged absence from cricket was due to an Achilles tendon injury for which he was forced to undergo surgery. After a successful operation, he began his rehabilitation programme and things have been going well for him.
Earlier, he was expected to return to action in the two-match Test series against Bangladesh, which is set to begin on September 19, but that did not happen as the BCCI took a cautious approach to the player. Later, it was reported that he would return to international cricket through the Test series against New Zealand.
Mohammed Shami was reportedly planning to play the opening match of the upcoming Ranji Trophy season for Bengal against Uttar Pradesh, which is set to begin on October 11, before returning to the national team for the second and third Test matches against New Zealand. However, his return has now been delayed further.
Mohammed Shami out of New Zealand Tests
According to Sportskeeda, Mohammed Shami will not be able to recover in time for the Test series against the Kiwis. The three Test matches between India and New Zealand will be played from October 16 to 20, October 24 to 28 and November 1 to 5 at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune and the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
Mohammed Shami will reportedly not even be fit in time for the third Test against the Black Caps and is most likely to return to action for India in the high-octane 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which begins on November 22.
Before travelling to Australia for the high-octane series, Mohammed Shami will take part in a couple of Ranji Trophy matches for practice. However, Shami will only be allowed to play Ranji Trophy matches after obtaining clearance and a fitness certificate from the National Cricket Academy (NCA), which he currently does not possess.
Meanwhile, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will provide opportunities to players like Akash Deep and Yash Dayal to showcase their talent in the upcoming matches against Bangladesh and New Zealand in the absence of Mohammed Shami.
For the first Test against Bangladesh in Chennai, the Indian selectors have picked four fast bowlers – Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep and Yash Dayal. If the reports about the red-dirt pitch for the first Test turn out to be true, India could field three fast bowlers with either Akash Deep or Yash Dayal joining Bumrah and Siraj.
Moreover, Jasprit Bumrah could be rested for the second Test match, which would allow India to try out a new fast-pacer in the starting XI. Notably, Yash Dayal has received his first call-up for the first Test match against Bangladesh as the team management is looking for a left-handed fast-pacer who can perform in the Australian conditions in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
