Mohammed Shami has been recovering from COVID and will not feature in the T20Is against South Africa from Wednesday. Meanwhile, Shahbaz Ahmed and Shreyas Iyer have been roped into the side.
Still recovering from COVID-19, seamer Mohammed Shami has been ruled out of India's three-game Twenty20 International (T20I) series against South Africa, starting Wednesday. At the same time, Bengal all-rounder Shahbaz Ahmed has been called up to the side after fellow all-rounder Hardik Pandya was rested. The opening T20I will be played at the Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram. With all-rounder Deepak Hooda also out of the series after suffering back spasms, the All-India Senior Selection Committee will be recalling middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer for the series.
"Shami hasn't recovered from his bout of COVID-19. He needs more time and hence, will be out of the South Africa series. Umesh Yadav will continue as Shami's replacement for the South Africa series," a senior BCCI source told PTI. However, on being questioned about what led to Shahbaz getting the nod as Pandya's replacement, "Is there any seam bowling all-rounder who can replace Hardik? Raj Bawa is too raw, so we kept him in India A for exposure. He will need time to blossom. Tell me another name?"
ALSO READ: England skipper Heather Knight accuses India of 'lying' over controversial 'mankading'
With Hooda also out, the selectors might have contemplated that a batting all-rounder might serve the purpose. "Shahbaz is more of a batting all-rounder, who is more than a handy left-arm spinner. He is there just as a back-up in case, Axar needs to be rested for a match with six T20I games in 10 days, including travel across the country," the source added.
It is understood that neither selectors nor BCCI bigwigs are amused with multiple cases of injuries and breakdowns in the recent past. "There is so much emphasis on workload management. Yet, we are seeing so many issues. Now, Hooda has back spasms. We expect that he will fit well in time before the T20 World Cup. Still, the question remains is the quantum of cricket that these players are playing above the critical limit to cause injuries," the senior official canvassed.
Rajat Patidar set to get India ODI call-up
While the top Indian players will be busy with the marquee ICC T20 World Cup assignment in Australia next month, the Shikhar Dhawan-led One-Day International (ODI) team would possess quite some faces who featured against Zimbabwe in the away series. Still, some new players might be roped in.
While Shubman Gill and Sanju Samson are certitude in the squad, young Madhya Pradesh batter Rajat Patidar is also conceivable to get his first-ever India call-up following a star season in the 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL) and domestic cricket. Patidar is habing a fantastic season. A grand IPL, ton in the Ranji Trophy final, a couple of Test centuries against New Zealand A and an unbeaten 45 in the opening List-A contest against Black Caps.
"You can't ignore Rajat's current form, and he is a strong contender for a berth in the ODI squad. Even Shreyas will be travelling to Australia as a stand-by with the main team. There will be slots in the middle-order," the source added. Meanwhile, wicketkeeper-batter Hanuma Vihari will lead the Rest of India's side in the Irani Cup versus Saurashtra.
(With inputs from PTI)