Mohammed Shami, Deepak Chahar ruled out of South Africa tour
Star Indian pacer Mohammed Shami, who bolstered India's pace attack in the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup, has been officially ruled out of the upcoming two-match Test series against South Africa. Shami, whose availability was subject to fitness, has not been cleared by the BCCI medical team. Meanwhile, Deepak Chahar has withdrawn from the ODI leg of the tour due to a family emergency.
Why does this story matter?
After missing the first four World Cup games, Shami entered the Indian XI due to injured Hardik Pandya's exit. Having played just seven games, he finished as the highest wicket-taker with 24 scalps. He broke a flurry of records. It is understood that Shami played the WC through his ankle injury. The same seems to have ruled him out of the SA Test series.
What about the replacements?
While uncapped pacer Akash Deep, who represents Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the Indian Premier League (IPL), has replaced Chahar in the ODI team. BCCI has not named any replacement for Shami. Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj are certain starters among pacers in the Indian XI. Shardul Thakur, Mukesh Kumar, and uncapped Prasidh Krishna would fight for the remaining spots for fast bowlers.
A look at Shami and Chahar's stats
Shami has so far appeared in 64 Tests and returned with 229 wickets at 27.71. The tally includes six five-wicket hauls. He has also clobbered a couple of Test fifties. Meanwhile, Chahar has returned with 16 scalps in 13 ODIs for India at 30.56. Two of his four List A half-centuries have come in Indian colors.
Other updates in the Indian team
Shreyas Iyer will miss the second and third ODI as he will join the Test squad for preparations. Head coach Rahul Dravid and his staff will join the team for the Test series. The ODI team, which will be led by KL Rahul, will be assisted by India A's coaching staff. Notably, the T20I leg of the SA tour ended in a 1-1 tour.
Schedule: India tour of South Africa, 2023/24
December 10: 1st T20I, Kingsmead, Durban. December 12: 2nd T20I, St George's Park, Gqeberha. December 14: 3rd T20I, New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg. December 17: 1st ODI, New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg. December 19: 2nd ODI, St George's Park, Gqeberha. December 21: 3rd ODI, Boland Park, Paarl. December 26-30: 1st Test, SuperSport Park, Centurion. January 3-7: 2nd Test, Newlands, Cape Town.
