In what came as a big development to India's T20 World Cup squad, the All India Selection Committee on October 14 (Friday) named Mohammad Shami as Jasprit Bumrah's replacement for the marquee tournament which is slated to start on October 16 in Australia.
The right-arm pacer, Shami has already reached Australia and will link up with the squad in Brisbane ahead of the warm-up matches. The veteran speedster had last played in T20 Internationals during the last edition of the ICC T20 World Cup in the UAE.
He was supposed to play in the six T20Is at home against Australia and South Africa but tested positive for CIVID-19 and had to remain in isolation. On return, he had to prove his fitness before NCA approved his trip to Australia.
Reflecting on Shami's fitness and preparedness for the multi-national tournament, captain Rohit Sharma
"As far as Shami is concerned, he caught Covid. He was at his home, then we called him to NCA (National Cricket Academy). He worked hard there. He is in Brisbane now. The Indian team will reach Brisbane tomorrow. He will practice with the team. Shami is very positive, his recovery has been good. He has done 3-4 bowling sessions. Everything is going good with Shami. We have tried a lot to manage players, but unfortunately, injuries are part of the game. That's why our focus was on preparing the bench. Injuries can happen anytime. We wanted to give chances to the young bowlers," Rohit said during the press conference.
When it comes to T20Is, Shami hasn't played a lot of matches for the country in the shortest format of the game. In his career so far, the right-arm pacer has played just 17 T20Is and has taken 18 wickets.
India, who won the inaugural edition of the T20 World Cup, haven't tasted success in ICC tournaments since 2013 and there is a ton of expectations from the current senior men's side to end the trophy drought Down Under.
The Men in Blue have already played two warm-up games, winning one and losing another, and they will now play two ICC-organised practice matches ahead of their World Cup opener against Pakistan in Melbourne on October 23.
