Team India has suffered a significant setback, as prominent seamer Mohammed Shami has been ruled out for the remainder of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. He has suffered a fractured wrist.
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It all happened on Day 3 while India was batting in its second innings. Struggling at 369, a bouncer from pacer Josh Hazelwood saw it hit in his wrist. As the physio attended him, the injury did look series, while Shami was in discomfort, leading him to retire out, as India was bundled out for its lowest Test total of 36. He also did not bowl in the following innings, as India succumbed to an eight-wicket defeat.
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Already trailing the four-Test series 0-1, India faces a challenging task ahead in the remaining three Tests, as it defends the title, having won it during its last visit, in 2018-19. Also, India would be without regular skipper Virat Kohli, who is flying back to India on paternity leave.
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As for Shami's replacement, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is yet to announce one. However, the likes of Kartik Tyagi, T Natarajan and Shardul Thakur, who are already in Australia as net bowlers, are the contenders, as one of them is likely to get picked.
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As of now, Natarajan and Thakur are the likely ones in contention. Thakur is the most experienced one, having played 62 First-Class matches and claimed 206 wickets at an average of 28.55, while Natarajan has played just 20 games and scalped 64 wickets, at an average of 27.03. Meanwhile, Natarajan was the standout performer for the side in the limited-overs campaign against Australia.
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Also, this raises a question on BCCI's decision to not include pacer Ishant Sharma in the squad, who was declared fit by the National Cricket Academy (NCA) last month, as he was rehabilitating from his abdominal muscle tear. As of now, even if he is to join Team India, he won't make it before the final Test, owing to the quarantine regulations in Australia.
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Nonetheless, BCCI took the decision to allow Ishant to be completely fit for the upcoming four-Test series against England at home, in February 2021. India would also tour England for a five-Test series August 2021.
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