Mohammed Shami, the veteran Indian bowler, is probably not going to take part in the upcoming Test series. Shami is reportedly recovering from an injury to his ankle and won’t be going to South Africa with the squad, according to a Cricbuzz report.
India would thus need to come up with alternate plans if the pacer is ruled out. It’s interesting that the selectors haven’t announced Shami’s successor despite knowing his injury concerns . Therefore, India may be thinking of using a player among its T20I as well as ODI teams who is comparable to Shami in his place.
3 players that can replace Mohammed Shami during South Africa Test series
3) Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Bhuvneshwar Kumar (Source: Twitter)
The impact of Bhuvneshwar Kumar on international cricket has steadily decreased. Bhuvneshwar Kumar played in an ODI in January 2022 and a T20I in November 2022. Bhuvi’s extended absence suggests that his international career is all but over. On the selection list, younger players are beginning to take the position of the 33-year-old.
If he had stayed in the plans of captain Rohit or coach Rahul Dravid, he could have been eligible to play in the forthcoming trip against South Africa. However, no one could forget the damage he had done in the South African tour in 2018. Owing to that reputation, it would be great for the Indian team to have Bhuvi amongst the young pacers in the squad.
2) Navdeep Saini
Navdeep Saini (Source: Twitter)
For the upcoming Test series, Indian quick Navdeep Saini is another possibility to take Mohammed Shami’s spot. He hasn’t got many opportunities, but he always finds himself on the bench for the Indian team. Despite having previously represented India in several formats.
He is in excellent form and got eight wickets in three games for Delhi during the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2023. India may consider trying him out in the upcoming series. In anticipation of the upcoming test series in South Africa, Navdeep Saini is also included in the India A team.
1) Umesh Yadav
Umesh Yadav (Source: Twitter)
The quick has not seemed to be in the best form throughout 2023. A hamstring ailment forced him to miss the West Indies tour. However, he has been totally discarded for this trip, with Mukesh Kumar as well as Prasidh Krishna receiving more opportunities. A young pace attack might be the thinking from the team management while selecting the squad.
With an experienced pacer like Mohammed Shami being ruled out, it would be crucial to include Umesh Yadav in the squad. His pace and lengths on South African wickets might prove to be key in taking the South African batters’ wickets. If Shami is completely ruled out, it would not be a surprise at all.
