Mohammed Shami is expected to be left out of the Indian Test team that will be announced for the five-match series in England in a few days, according to the Indian Express. After undergoing ankle surgery earlier this year, the 34-year-old pacer is allegedly still not fully fit to bowl for extended periods of time and is not anticipated to be included in the selectors' plans for the England tour.
Although Shami has returned to competitive cricket through the IPL, where he bowls four-over periods for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), the BCCI medical staff has told the board that his present workload does not provide enough assurance that he can withstand the demands of red-ball cricket.
“Shami is bowling four overs in IPL for Sunrisers Hyderabad but the board and selectors don’t know whether he can bowl more than 10 overs in a day. Test matches in England may demand longer spells from the pacers and we can’t take chances,” a board source told the newspaper.
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Jasprit Bumrah's workload constraints made Shami an iffy possibility, despite internal discussions about bringing him in and using him in a few games. According to reports, one of the main reasons Bumrah didn't compete for Test captaincy was because he told the team management he wasn't ready to handle the burden of all five Tests.
Instead, the selectors are eager to bring along bowlers who are fit enough to handle extended stretches over the potentially taxing five Test matches.
Shami's final appearance under the red ball came at The Oval during the 2023 World Test Championship final against Australia. Since then, a protracted recuperation period and poor match fitness have caused him to fall in the rankings.
Shami's exclusion might provide room for up-and-coming pacers like Anshul Kamboj of Haryana and left-armer Arshdeep Singh. While Kamboj has already been selected for the India A team traveling to England, Arshdeep, who played county cricket for Kent the previous season, is viewed as a dark horse.
In the meantime, a leadership change is probably going to be part of the next team announcement. The most likely candidate to succeed India as red-ball captain is Shubman Gill. In recent days, Gill is said to have had conversations with top selector Ajit Agarkar and head coach Gautam Gambhir.
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