The BCCI on Sunday afternoon confirmed that fast bowler Mohammed Shami will part of the upcoming three-match T20I series against Australia as he has tested testing positive for covid. The All-India Senior Selection Committee has named Umesh Yadav as his replacement.
Shami was in line to play his first T20I since T20 World Cup last year where India exited in the group stage itself after losing their first two matches. Shami took eight wickets in five matches at the event and had an economy of 8.84 following which he fell out of favour.
Also Read: Shami, Chahar Among Other Standby Players to Travel With WC Squad
However, the 32-year-old bounced back with an impressive show in IPL 2022 as he played a vital role in helping debutant Gujarat Titans to title win. There was furore over the team management ignoring him for T20Is and then Asia Cup.
He was then included for the upcoming two T20I series at home against Australia and South Africa but for the world cup was named in the standby list.
On the other hand, Umesh hasn’t played a T20I since February 2019 but has been an IPL regular. He was playing for Middlesex in the England’s Royal one-day cup but a quad injury ended his stint early.
The34-year-old was expected to undergo rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy but now has linked up with the India squad for the Australia T20Is which start from Tuesday in Mohali.
The second T20I will be played in Nagpur while the third in Hyderabad.
Following that, India will host South Africa for three T20Is starting September 28 in Thiruvananthapuram.
Also Read: KSEB Cuts Power Supply to Greenfield Stadium in Kerala Ahead of 1st T20I
India’s squad for Australia series: Rohit Sharma (captain), KL Rahul (vice-captain), Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Deepak Hooda, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Dinesh Karthik (wicket-keeper), Hardik Pandya, R. Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel, Deepak Chahar, Jasprit Bumrah, Umesh Yadav
Get the latest Cricket News, Schedule and Cricket Live Scores here