BAN vs IND: Mohammed Shami & Ravindra Jadeja likely to miss the Test series
Indian pacer Mohammed Shami and all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja are unlikely to recover for the two-match Test series against Bangladesh. Recent reports suggest that Shami has not fully recovered from his right shoulder strain and is a doubt for the series starting on December 14 while Jadeja is still recovering from a knee injury he picked in September.
Notably, Shami was included in the ongoing ODI series against Bangladesh but was later withdrawn due to a fresh shoulder injury while Jadeja was not considered due to fitness. Shami last played for India in the T20 World Cup 2022, where he took six wickets from six innings. He was then rested from the white-ball tour to New Zealand.
Shami is currently going through rehabilitation at National Cricket Academy in Bangalore and as per a Cricbuzz report, the staff at the NCA will be planning a roadmap for Shami’s recovery but there is no update on his return.
Shami has been a crucial part of India’s bowling attack in red-ball cricket, having picked 216 wickets from 60 Tests at an impressive average of 27.45 and his absence will be felt by India, who are already struggling with various injury issues across formats.
Indian team is already without the services of Jasprit Bumrah on the Bangladesh tour. But the management is unlikely to name a replacement of Shami for the two Tests. Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Siraj, and Umesh Yadav are other pace options in the squad and have wealth of options in the spin department as well.
India to target a consolation win in the third ODI
Meanwhile, the Indian team suffered another narrow defeat in the second ODI match against Bangladesh on Wednesday (December 7). Once again, Indian bowlers struggled to gain an advantage and allowed the opposition to build impactful partnerships. Bangladesh managed to pull off a challenging 271/7 total after struggling at 69/6 and then the bowlers managed to restrict India to 266/9.
The Men in Blue will be looking for a consolation win in the third ODI on Saturday (December 10) but their preparations are hammered with fresh injuries as captain Rohit Sharma injured his left thumb while fielding and is ruled out of the third ODI and also remains a doubtful starter for the first Test. Further, pacers Deepak Chahar and Kuldeep Sen are also out injured for the third ODI. In their absence, India is likely to go ahead with five bowling options in the last ODI match in Chattogram.
