3 bowlers who can replace Mohammed Shami if he gets ruled out of Test series against South Africa
India (Source: Twitter)
Mohammed Shami is highly doubtful for the Test series against SA. Reports claim that the seam bowler is undergoing medical treatment for his ankle injury. The pacer sustained the injury in one of the games during the ODI World Cup 2023. As a result, he was not picked for any series before the Test series against SA. Even for the important series, the participation of the star pacer seems to be doubtful. The recovery of Shami seems to be taking a bit more time than expected, which is highly likely to rule him out of the series.
It leads to a big question for the Indian management. Shami is a world-class bowler. To replace him would be a difficult task. Although India has a talented bowler like Prasidh already in the squad, who could likely get his maiden cap if Shami is to miss out on the series, it would be difficult to pick a bowler who can be a backup for a player like Shami. In the past, many pacers have impressed the cricket lovers with their terrific performances. Some of them are most likely to be named the replacement of Shami in the squad if he is to get ruled out.
The update on Shami’s recovery is yet to be provided by the Indian Cricket Board.
Here are the 3 bowlers who can replace Mohammed Shami if he gets ruled out of the Test series against South Africa:
3. Navdeep Saini
Navdeep Saini is one of the express pacers in India who can threaten the batters with his pace. One would want to have such bowlers on their Test side. Particularly in the tour of South Africa, where the pacers become very crucial for the success of the team, bowlers like Saini would be very important. With his pace, Saini could give a different dimension to the Indian attack. Even in the past, Saini was good for India as a pacer, whenever he showed up with full fitness and tenacity to bowl.
Saini can be lethal on South African pitches which have a similar pace and bounce to the WACA pitch of Perth in the past. On such wickets, Saini can be a deadly bowler. In the absence of Shami, Saini can be trusted to do the job. Although Saini has not been at his best in recent times, he could be lethal on conditions that are helpful for the pacers. Not to forget, Saini can bat a bit as well. In first-class cricket, Saini has a good record. The only concern would be his lack of games at the international level in the last couple of years.
