Shami’s absence big loss for India, can’t underestimate reserve pacers, feels McDonald

New Delhi: Australia head coach Andrew McDonald has acknowledged that Mohammed Shami’s absence is a big loss for India, but added his team won’t take the pacers who replace him lightly during the all-important Border-Gavaskar Trophy series starting on November 22 in Perth, citing the Gabba Test win of the visitors’ in 2021.

Shami has been out of action since last year’s ODI World Cup in India due to an achilles injury which needed surgery this year. But there’s a possibility that Shami might join the Indian team for the second half of the Australia tour provided he proves his fitness and readiness in Bengal’s last two Ranji Trophy matches at Bengaluru and Indore respectively.

India has won Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia the last two times it was played here in 2018/19 and 2020/21 respectively. “Mohammed Shami is a big loss. The way our batters speak about his relentless nature, his line and lengths, the way he goes about his business, a real good complimenting skill set to Bumrah so think that one-two combo they’ll lack a little bit, and they’ll miss that.

“But needless to say we saw what happened last time, they had reserves that came in and did the job as well so they cannot be underestimated at all,” said McDonald to ABC TV’s Offsiders show on Sunday.

He also said Australia will have no issues in making teenage opener Sam Konstas play in Tests against India if the George Bailey-led selection committee feel he fits in their best playing eleven.

Konstas, who’s played just six first-class matches, smashed twin centuries in the Sheffield Shield for New South Wales this month, and made 43 in the side’s loss to Victoria on a spicy pitch at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

“I think we’re picking the best team for here and now, and if that does encompass a younger player, then we’ll head down that direction. Clearly Sam Konstas, on the back of his first Shield match, and the way he went about his work in the second innings at the MCG against Scott Boland, has definitely made some noise.

“I’ve heard people commenting, ‘do you protect the player?’ If they’re ready, they’re ready in our mind, and if Sam’s capable and we feel as though is capable to fill that spot I don’t think that the opponent should come into the equation.

“I think it’s purely is this player good enough to play Test cricket? You’ve got to start against someone, and you shouldn’t be holding back and protecting someone from a potential opponent, and India is a strong opponent but also the advantage of a player playing in Australia for their first Test summer is that the conditions are familiar. What better place to start than in your own backyard?” he concluded.

–IANS