Shock to India ahead of Australia series, Mohammed Shami out
Even before the start of the T20 series against Australia, Team India has suffered a major setback. Fast bowler Mohammed Shami has been ruled out of this three-match series due to being found COVID-19 positive. Shami was almost certain to play against Australia in the first match on September 20, but due to being positive, could not even travel with the team to Mohali.
A senior BCCI source told PTI, “Yes, Mohammed Shami has tested positive for COVID-19. But there is nothing to worry as the symptoms are mild. But they will have to remain isolated and will be able to rejoin the team after testing negative. It’s unfortunate, but it’s part of life. We are hoping that Shami will be fit for the series against South Africa. There are 10 days for that series to start.
Umesh Yadav’s entry in the team
Fast bowler Umesh Yadav has been included in the squad for the Australia series in place of Mohammed Shami. 34-year-old Umesh Yadav was undergoing rehab in the NCA due to a thigh injury. The source said about this, ‘Umesh was doing his rehab in NCA after coming back and it was not a serious injury. So now he has recovered and is fit to play.
Umesh played the last T20 in 2019
Umesh Yadav played his last T20 International against Australia in February 2019. That is, now he is ready to play T20 International after more than two years. Despite getting fewer chances in international cricket in recent times, Umesh has been a regular part of the IPL and picked up 16 wickets for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) last season. Umesh Yadav has played only seven T20 matches for India so far in which he has a total of 9 wickets in his name.
Shami expected to be fit for SA series
Mohammed Shami returned to India’s T20 team after a long time. Earlier, Shami played his last T20 International match in last year’s World Cup. But now COVID-19 has put a brake on his return. It is expected that Shami will recover for the three-match T20 series against South Africa. Shami was selected as a stand-by player for the T20 World Cup, so he has to travel to Australia next month.
Last month Dravid also had corona
This is the second time in almost a month that a member of Team India has had to deal with COVID-19. Significantly, just before the Asia Cup 2022, head coach Rahul Dravid was found to be Corona positive and he was delayed in traveling to the UAE. Dravid was found to have mild symptoms of corona and eventually joined the team just before India’s opening match against Pakistan.
Indian squad for Australia series: Rohit Sharma (capt), KL Rahul (vice-captain), Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Deepak Hooda, Rishabh Pant (wk), Dinesh Karthik (wk), Hardik Pandya, R.K. Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav, Harshal Patel, Deepak Chahar, Jasprit Bumrah.
India vs Australia Schedule:
1st T20 – 20 September (Mohali)
2nd T20 – 23 September (Nagpur)
3rd T20 – 25 September (Hyderabad)
