India's hopes of reaching the final of the World Test Championship 2025 have taken a major hit after losing the first two Tests of the three-match series against New Zealand. The team will now need to perform exceptionally well as they head to Australia to take on the reigning WTC champions in a five-match Test Series for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. India has announced the squad for the series, with star pacer Mohammed Shami missing out on a spot in the final 18-man squad, despite expectations of his return after more than a year.
Following his exclusion from the final squad for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Mohammed Shami has shared his initial reaction. He took to Instagram to post a video of himself working out in the gym, expressing his apologies to his fans and the BCCI. Shami assured everyone that he is putting in the effort to make a comeback to red-ball cricket soon.
"Putting in my efforts and getting better with my bowling fitness day-by-day. Will continue working hard towards getting ready for the match and to play domestic red ball cricket. Sorry to all cricket fans and BCCIw too, but very soon I’m ready to play red ball cricket , love you all," the caption read.
Shami has been sidelined from competitive play since the ODI World Cup 2023 final due to an ankle injury. Following surgery, he began rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru in an effort by the BCCI to prepare him for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Unfortunately, during his rehabilitation, reports emerged that Shami had sustained a knee injury, likely halting his progress and leading to his regrettable absence from the crucial tour to Australia.
India’s squad for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy: Rohit Sharma (C), Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (WK), Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (WK), R Ashwin, R Jadeja, Mohd. Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar.
Reserves: Mukesh Kumar, Navdeep Saini, Khaleel Ahmed
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