 "Shami and Abhishek doubtful for 2nd T20I? Pacer trains with bandaged knees, opener reportedly injures ankle")
Mohammed Shami it seems is set to sit out of the second India-England T20I as well which will be played at the MA Chidambaram International Cricket Stadium in Chennai on Saturday (25 January) and India could also be without opener Abhishek Sharma. Shami, who was not picked for the first T20I that India won by seven wickets, had an hour-long practice session at Chepauk on Friday (24 January) but never looked in top gear.
Abhishek Sharma, meanwhile, has reportedly twisted his knees and did not bat in the practice session, as per The Indian Express. The report states that Abhishek Sharma twisted his knees while warming up.
Abhishek Sharma and Shami can miss 2nd IND vs ENG T20I
Abhishek was later attended by a physio and managed to walk on his own, but he looked in pain and decided not to bat in the net. This has raised question marks on his availability for the second India-Englnad T20I.
The 34-year-old pacer Shami, who last played for India in the 2023 ODI World Cup final, was picked in the T20I squad with an eye on the Champions Trophy 2025 as Jasprit Bumrah is also recovering from a back spasm issue. He came into the squad after featuring for Bengal in the Ranji Trophy, Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 and Vijay Hazare after his ankle surgery last year, but the pacer still looks far from 100% match fitness. At least that’s how it appears after Friday’s practice session.
Shami began the practice session in Chennai with a jogging session with assistant coach Abhishek Nayar. This was followed by a few minutes of throwing drills with fielding coach T DIlip. He slowly progressed to bowling nets and bowled a few deliveries with a short run-up.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsHe soon started bowling with full run-up but lacked proper rhythm, which is a hallmark of his bowling. More importantly, both Shami’s legs were heavily bandaged, reported news agency PTI.
After a brief sting of bowling with a full run-up, Shami was seen taking a break and talking to India’s bowling coach Morne Morkel and head coach Gautam Gambhir.
He resumed bowling in the nets once again but never appeared to touch top gear. Also, most of his bowling wasn’t against Team India players, who were training at the outside MAC ‘B’ ground.
Towards the end, Shami bowled a few balls to balls to Nitish Kumar Reddy before restarting his fielding and catching sessions.
Who will replace Shami and Abhishek Sharma?
If Shami’s limited training with teammates, bandaged legs and lack of rhythm in the nets are anything to go by, it seems certain he will miss the second T20I against England unless he miraculously regains match fitness.
While India wants Shami to regain full fitness as soon as possible, they would not want to risk him in international cricket just yet. Their focus must be the Champions Trophy 2025. But if Shami’s fitness continues to remain uncertain, Mohammed Siraj could also make a comeback.
If Abhishek misses the second T20I, we can see Dhruv Jurel getting into the playing XI as India do not have a third opener in the squad.
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