Umran Malik replaces injured Mohammed Shami in India’s ODI squad for series against Bangladesh

Mumbai:  Tearaway fast bowler Umran Malik on Saturday was named as a replacement for injured senior pacer Mohammed Shami in India’s ODI squad for the upcoming ODI series against Bangladesh.

An official statement from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah said Shami sustained a shoulder injury during a training session in the lead up to the ODI series against Bangladesh.

He is currently under the supervision of the BCCI Medical Team at the NCA, Bengaluru and will not be able to take part in the series against Bangladesh. It is not yet clear if Shami will be fit in time for the two Tests against Bangladesh, starting from December 14 in Chattogram.

Malik had debuted in ODIs against New Zealand at Auckland on November 25, picking 2/66 and then took 1/31 in a washed-out match at Christchurch on November 30. He now joins Mohammed Siraj, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar and uncapped Kuldeep Sen to form the fast-bowling attack for the three-match ODI series against Bangladesh, starting from Sunday.

Shami, 33, is a pivotal figure in India’s scheme of things, especially with the ODI World Cup less than 12 months away. Moreover, if he is not fit in time for the Tests against Bangladesh, it will be a huge blow to India’s quest for making the final of the World Test Championship in June 2023.

If he isn’t fit, then India can look towards pacers Navdeep Saini and Mukesh Kumar, who are currently in Bangladesh with the India A side playing two four-day matches against Bangladesh A team. While Saini took four wickets in the first four-day match, Mukesh took three. Mukesh is uncapped at the Test level while Saini has two appearances for India in the format.

The first two ODI matches between Bangladesh and India will take place on December 4 and 7 at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium (SBNCS) in Mirpur, Dhaka. The third ODI, which was previously scheduled to be held at Dhaka, will now take place at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium (ZACS) in Chattogram on December 10.

All the ODI matches, which are not a part of the ODI World Cup Super League, will be day-night affairs starting from 12pm local time. The tour will also have two Tests under the ICC World Test Championship cycle, at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium (ZACS) in Chattogram from December 14 to 18, and then at the Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium (SBNCS), Mirpur, Dhaka from December 22-26.

India’s squad for Bangladesh ODIs: Rohit Sharma (C), KL Rahul (VC), Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Shreyas Iyer, Rahul Tripathi, Rishabh Pant (WK), Ishan Kishan (WK), Shahbaz Ahmed, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Mohd. Siraj, Deepak Chahar, Kuldeep Sen, and Umran Malik.

–IANS