The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced on Saturday that fast bowler Mohammed Shami has been ruled out of the two-match Test series against South Africa due to concerns about his fitness. Shami’s inclusion in the squad was subject to fitness clearance, and the BCCI Medical Team has not given the go-ahead for his participation.
Shami, who suffered an ankle injury after the ODI World Cup, was provisionally named in the squad for the Test series. However, his fitness assessment did not meet the required standards, and he will not be part of the Test matches against South Africa, which are scheduled to begin on December 26.
In addition to Shami’s absence, there has been another change in the One Day International (ODI) squad. Medium-pacer Deepak Chahar has been withdrawn from the ODI series due to a family medical emergency. Akash Deep, who was already in South Africa as part of the India A side, has been named as his replacement.
Batter Shreyas Iyer, who is part of both the ODI and Test squads, will be available only for the series-opening ODI on December 17. Following the conclusion of the first ODI, Iyer will join the Test squad to prepare for the Test series and will not participate in the second and third ODIs.
India’s updated ODI squad for the South Africa series includes players such as Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sai Sudharsan, Tilak Varma, Rajat Patidar, Rinku Singh, KL Rahul (Captain & wicketkeeper), Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mukesh Kumar, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh, and Akash Deep.
In another development, head coach Rahul Dravid, along with batting coach Vikram Rathour, bowling coach Paras Mhambrey, and fielding coach T. Dilip, will not be with the ODI squad. Instead, they will join the Test squad to oversee preparations for the red-ball matches. The ODI team will be assisted by India A’s coaching staff, comprising batting coach Sitanshu Kotak, bowling coach Rajib Datta, and fielding coach Ajay Ratra.
The inter-squad match in Pretoria between December 20-22 will serve as preparation for the Boxing Day Test, with key players like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, and R Ashwin likely to feature in the practice game.
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