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As the much-anticipated Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024 approaches, the Indian cricket team is grappling with the absence of ace pacer Mohammed Shami, sidelined due to ongoing fitness concerns. On October 25, the BCCI announced its squad for the five-Test series against Australia, notably excluding Shami, who has been struggling with a knee injury since the ODI World Cup 2023 final last November. Although there’s potential for a last-minute inclusion, Shami’s absence is already being felt.
The 2018 Australia tour saw Shami play an instrumental role in India’s historic series win, where his precision and aggression gave the Australian batters little breathing room. Yet, his road to recovery has faced setbacks due to swelling in his knees, impacting his rehab at the National Cricket Academy (NCA).
Australian head coach Andrew McDonald didn’t hold back in recognizing Shami’s absence as a significant loss for India. “Mohammed Shami is a big loss,” McDonald remarked. “The way our batters speak about his relentless nature, his line and lengths, his approach—it’s a great complementing skill set to Bumrah. That one-two combo will be missed.”
However, McDonald acknowledged India’s depth in pace options. “We’ve seen what India’s reserves are capable of in the past, so they cannot be underestimated at all.”
In Shami’s absence, India has turned to emerging talent from the IPL, calling up Harshit Rana and Nitish Kumar Reddy, who will be joined by other pace bowlers like Akash Deep and Prasidh Krishna. Meanwhile, Shami is expected to make his return in the Ranji Trophy for Bengal’s upcoming matches against Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh.
India’s challenge will be to leverage their fresh pace lineup while managing the pressure of filling Shami’s shoes as they look to defend the Border-Gavaskar Trophy on Australian soil. With both teams ready to compete fiercely, McDonald’s remarks are just the beginning of the mind games leading up to the high-stakes series.
