India medical team rules out Shami for Australia Tests

NEW DELHI: Cricket powerhouse India suffered a blow on Monday when a medical team ruled out pacer Mohammed Shami’s participation in the final two matches of the ongoing five-match series against hosts Australia.

Shami has missed the first three matches of the series — locked at 1-1 — but was expected to join the Indian pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah for the Boxing Day Test.

The right-arm pacer has been on a road to recovery and has played a few domestic matches since his right heel surgery, which kept him away from international cricket for months. “However, his left knee has exhibited minor swelling due to increased joint loading from his bowling workload,” Devajit Saikia of the Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) said in a statement on Monday.

Both Indian fans and critics expected Shami to join Bumrah, rated as one of the best fast bowlers of this generation, for the final two games. Bumrah has stood out for his match-turning performances in Australia but critics have argued that he has lacked support from the other end in Shami’s absence.

“Based on the current medical assessment, the BCCI Medical Team has determined that his (Shami’s) knee requires more time for controlled exposure to bowling loads,” Saikia added. “Consequently, he has not been deemed fit for consideration for the remaining two Tests of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.” Earlier, India’s ace off spinner-all rounder Ravichandran Ashwin announced a sudden retirement after the third game.

With series on the line, Australia have added teenage opener Sam Konstas to the squad for the first time. The 19-year-old is poised to open alongside veteran Usman Khawaja — twice his age at 38 — at a sold-out Melbourne Cricket Ground after Nathan McSweeney was axed after just three Tests.