bowler to join Team India in Australia” title=”Ravi Shastri (PTI photo)” decoding=”async” fetchpriority=”high”/>To strengthen support for India's pacesetters Jasprit Bumrah in Australia, former India coach Ravi Shastri wants the fit-again, experienced fast bowler Mohammed Shami to quickly join the Indian team Border Gavaskar Trophy.
Shastri's comments came after Shami made a successful return to competitive cricket after a year-long absence due to ankle surgery and subsequent rehabilitation.
Shami, who featured for Bengal in the Ranji Trophy clash against Madhya Pradesh, bowled 19 overs and recorded figures of 4 for 54 at the Holkar Stadium in Indore.
“If anything, I would have liked a little more support for Jasprit in the pace bowling attack. The quicker Mohammed Shami gets fit and is on a flight, I think it will be better for India,” Shastri said on the ICC Review show.
The BGT will be played over a series of five Tests, starting with the first game in Perth on November 22nd. If Shami no longer has any fitness issues, he could be available in the later stages of the series Down Under.
IND has what it takes to beat this AUS team in the upcoming #BGT | to challenge #beyondtheboundary
The second Test will be a pink-ball match scheduled to be played in Adelaide from December 6. The final three Tests will be played in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney respectively.
India, which has slipped to second place in the World Test Championship (WTC) table after losing 3-0 in the Test series at home to New Zealand, needs to win four of the five Tests in Australia to finally qualify for its third consecutive WTC Final.