In Perth, the Men in Blue played two practice matches against the Western Australia XI, winning the first match and losing the second. Team India will now leave for Brisbane on Friday where Shami will join the team.
Shami hasn’t played in a T20I for India since the match against Namibia at the T20 World Cup last year, but injuries to Deepak Chahar and Bumrah have made room for him to be picked for the Indian team for the T20 World Cup.
Even though the Indian team management has till October 15 to officially declare a Bumrah replacement, Shami is almost certainly going to be the one. However, a definitive choice won’t be made until his match fitness has been evaluated.
Shami last appeared for India against England on July 17 at Old Trafford stadium in Manchester during the third ODI of the three-match series. Since then, he hasn’t played in any competitive matches.
He was selected for the Indian team for the recent home T20I series against Australia and South Africa, but only a few days before the series began, he tested positive for COVID-19, excluding him from contention.
In addition to Shami, fast bowlers Mohammad Siraj and Shardul Thakur have also been asked to join the Indian team after Deepak Chahar was unable to participate in the T20 World Cup owing to a back ailment.
Rohit Sharma & Co will face off against Australia and New Zealand in two warmup matches on 17 and 19 October respectively before the big clash against the arch-rivals Pakistan on October 23.
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