More problems for India cricket team as fast bowler Mohammed Shami has been ruled out of the ongoing four-match Test series in Australia with a fractured arm. Shami was hit on the elbow by a rising delivery from Australia pacer Pat Cummins during India’s second innings on Saturday which ended at a record lowest 36 for nine. The India seamer was immediately taken to a hospital for scans, which revealed a fracture on his right forearm. India suffered a humiliating eight-wicket loss at the hands of Australia in the pink-ball Test in Adelaide.
The 30-year-old Shami has been one of India’s most lethal weapons and his absence will not only weaken the bowling attack but India will also miss a sound cricket brain on the field. With no Virat Kohli available for the next three Test matches due to his impending fatherhood, Team India is grappling with a lot of issues on multiple fronts.
Shami didn’t bowl and come on to the field during Australia’s second innings. He wasn’t even spotted when the two teams exchanged handshakes after the premature end to the first Test. Shami was later seen leaving the Adelaide Oval with his arm in a sling.
“Mohammed Shami has a fracture and the chances of him taking part in the remaining three Test matches is next to nil,” a BCCI source was quoted by PTI.
He added that Mohammed Siraj, for his impressive show in the two warm-up games, will be in line for a Boxing Day Test debut in Melbourne.
During the post-match interview, India captain Kohli had revealed that Shami had gone to get scans and that he’d been unable to ‘even lift his arm’. Later, the reports of the have revealed a fracture that Shami will not be able to recover from while he’s in Australia.
“He was in a lot of pain, couldn’t even lift his arm. We’ll probably know in the evening what happens,” Kohli revealed.
India are now 0-1 down in the four-match series. The two teams will meet again on December 26 for the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne, where the visitors will be without the services of regular-captain Kohli, who will head back home for the birth of his first child.