Blow for India: Injured Mohammad Shami out of Australia tour, Bhuvneshwar Kumar to replace

Perth: Pacer Mohammed Shami was today ruled out of India’s limited-overs cricket series against Australia due to a hamstring injury and Bhuvneshwar Kumar will replace him for the ODIs and Twenty20s starting here on January 12. “The BCCI medical team confirms that Mohammed Shami has been ruled out of India’s tour of Australia due to injury. He sustained a Grade II injury to his left hamstring, which will restrict him from playing active cricket for about 4 to 6 weeks,” BCCI Secretary Anurag Thakur said in a statement. [caption id=“attachment_2577238” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File picture of Mohammed Shami. Getty[/caption] “The All-India Senior Selection Committee has named Bhuvneshwar Kumar as the replacement, who will join the team tomorrow,” he added. Shami sustained the injury during a training session before the warm-up Twenty20 game against Western Australia, which the Indians yesterday. The latest breakdown is a massive setback for Shami, who had returned to the side after being sidelined for nine months owing to injuries. It can be considered a lucky break for Bhuvneshwar, who was dropped following a poor home series against South Africa last year. The 25-year-old had claimed his seven wickets from five matches at an average of 49.57 and an economy rate of 7.13. India will play five ODIs and three Twenty20s against the Steve Smith-led Australia. PTI