The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the Mohammed Shami-less India's squad for the highly anticipated Border-Gavaskar Trophy on October 25. This five-match Test series will be hosted by Australia and will start from November 22. A notable absence from the 18-member squad is star pacer Mohammed Shami, who has been sidelined since the 2023 ODI World Cup due to an Achilles tendon injury.
Can Mohammed Shami still make it to India's squad for Border-Gavaskar Trophy?
However, there is still an outside chance for Shami's inclusion. As per an Indian Express report, the final decision on Shami's inclusion in the Test squad will be made after he proves his fitness through his Ranji Trophy performances. Shami is expected to make his return to competitive cricket through two Ranji Trophy matches for Bengal. As previously reported, Shami is expected to play Bengal's fourth-round match against Karnataka in Bengaluru in the first week of November, after Diwali.
Bengal coach Laxmi Ratan Shukla confirmed that Shami will miss the upcoming match against Kerala but is expected to join the team for their Round 3 match against Karnataka and the subsequent Round 4 match against Madhya Pradesh. However, for now Shami isn't included in India's 18-member squad which will be spearheaded by Rohit Sharma.
India’s squad for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy
Rohit Sharma (C), Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (WK), Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (WK), R Ashwin, R Jadeja, Mohd. Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar.
Reserves: Mukesh Kumar, Navdeep Saini, Khaleel Ahmed
Meanwhile, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Harshit Rana have earned their maiden Test call-ups, while Abhimanyu Easwaran has been selected as the third opening option, edging out Ruturaj Gaikwad. Easwaran's consistent performance, including four consecutive centuries in the Duleep Trophy, Irani Cup, and Ranji Trophy, played a crucial role in his selection.
Contrary to earlier reports, there has been no official announcement regarding Rohit Sharma's unavailability for the first half of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The BCCI's official release on Friday named him as the captain for all five Tests.
Jasprit Bumrah, who was the vice-captain in the New Zealand Test series, has been named as the vice-captain for the Australian tour as well.
Besides Shami, another notable absentee from the Indian squad was left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav. The BCCI clarified that Kuldeep, who was dropped from the ongoing second Test against New Zealand, is currently unavailable due to an injury.
“Kuldeep Yadav was unavailable for selection for the tour of Australia since he has been referred to The BCCI Centre of Excellence after the end of the ongoing Test series against New Zealand for long term resolution of his chronic left groin issue,” BCCI said in a statement
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