Record chase in women's 50-over game

The suspense over Mohammed Shami featuring in the ongoing Border Gavaskar Trophy series is over with the Indian cricket board announcing that the pacer has been ruled out of any participation in the last two Tests because of a knee condition.

- HT Correspondent

NEW DELHI:

In a statement, BCCI joint secretary Devajit Saikia said Shami has fully recovered from the heel issue for which he underwent surgery following India's runners-up finish in the ODI World Cup on November 19 last year. The 34-year-old bowled 43 overs in Bengal's Ranji Trophy game against Madhya Pradesh last month and then played all nine games in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy T20 tournament.

"Shami also engaged in additional bowling sessions on the sidelines (of SMAT) to build his bowling volume in order to get ready for the Test matches," the statement said. "However, his left knee has exhibited minor swelling due to increasing joint loading from his bowling workload. The swelling is one the expected lines, owing to the increased bowling after a prolonged period.

"Based on the current medical assessment, the BCCI medical team has determined that his knee requires more time for controlled exposure to bowling loads. Consequently, he has not been deemed fit for consideration for the remaining two Tests of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy," Saikia's statement said.

The pacer's experience and skill would have hugely complemented Jasprit Bumrah's brilliant efforts in the series. While Bumrah has been near unplayable for the Australia batters, the team would hope Mohammed Siraj as well as Akash Deep—he replaced debutant Nitish Rana after the Perth and Adelaide games—provide more penetration in the bowling attack.