Rumours turn true: No Mohammed Shami in India’s Test Squad for Australia; BCCI declares team for Border-Gavaskar Trophy

Mohammed Shami will not be part of the squad for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series against Australia. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the 18-member team, led by Rohit Sharma, on October 25.

Shami, who has not played since the 2023 ODI World Cup due to an ankle injury, was not included in the squad for the five-match Test series, starting on November 22 in Perth. Instead, Akash Deep will join Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj as the third seamer in the line-up.

This is the same pace combination India are using against New Zealand at home. While Bumrah had Siraj with him in the first Test, Akash Deep joined Jassi while Siraj was excluded in the second cricket match.

Shami earlier responded to rumours about his absence in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series. The pacer expressed frustration over false reports about his injury status. He clarified on X (formerly Twitter) that he was working hard to recover and had not been ruled out of the series.

Shami asked people to ignore unverified news, emphasising that neither he nor the BCCI had confirmed his exclusion, calling the rumours “fake, fake, fake, & fake”.

Spinner Kuldeep Yadav, meanwhile, was also excluded due to a recurring groin injury. The BCCI confirmed that Kuldeep would undergo long-term treatment at their Centre of Excellence after the current Test series against New Zealand. They explained this was to address his chronic left groin issue and ensure his full recovery.

Kuldeep Yadav was not included in the second Test against New Zealand. He was replaced by Washington Sundar, whose performance was highly impressive. Washington Sundar secured 7 wickets in the first innings and 4 in the second.

India’s Test Squad

India have included 3 debutants in the squad: Abhimanyu Easwaran, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Harshit Rana. Prasidh Krishna, who has played 2 Tests so far, has also been recalled.

Rohit Sharma (C), Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (wicket-keeper), R Ashwin, R Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar.