Mohammed Shami ruled out of Afghanistan Test, Navdeep Saini to replace him

Navdeep Saini was named as the replacement for Mohammed Shami in the Indian cricket team for the one-off Test encounter against Afghanistan in Bangalore on Monday.

Shami failed to clear the fitness test at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore and that paved the way for the Delhi pacer’s inclusion in the team for the match which begins on June 14.

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Navdeep Saini, who plays for Delhi in the Ranji Trophy, was the best bowler for his side in the 2017-18 season and he took 34 wickets in 8 wickets to take Delhi to the final of the tournament.

The Indian cricket team management has also requested India A fast bowlers Mohammed Siraj and Rajneesh Gurbani to attend the training sessions of the senior team. They will be helping out the batsmen with their practice ahead of the Test match. Kings XI Punjab fast bowler Ankit Rajpoot was also invited to join the camp, but the Uttar Pradesh cricketer was struggling with injuries.

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Meanwhile, Ishan Kishan was named in India A team for the away one-day series against England Lions and West Indies A. Sanju Samson, who was originally named in the squad as the main wicket-keeper, failed his fitness test and as a result, was excluded from the side.