New Delhi. Fast bowlers Mohammad Siraj, Mohammed Shami and Shardul Thakur will join the Indian team in Australia while Deepak Chahar has been ruled out of the upcoming T20 World Cup due to a back injury. Chahar was one of the standby players and it was believed that in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah, he could be included in the main team but he would not be able to go to Australia. The national selectors have asked Shami, Siraj and Thakur to join the team. All three will leave for Australia on Wednesday night. An official of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said on condition of anonymity, “Deepak will take some time to get fit. His back pain has resurfaced. His ankle is fine and there is no problem with that. That’s why BCCI is sending three players Mohammed Shami, Mohammad Siraj and Shardul Thakur to Australia.
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One of these three fast bowlers will replace Bumrah in the 15-man squad. India have time till October 15 to select a new player in place of Bumrah and hence the team management wants to assess the fitness of these three fast bowlers. Chahar featured in the T20I series against South Africa but missed the ODI series due to recovering back pain. He had gone to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) for treatment. Chahar had been out of cricket for nearly six months earlier this year due to a ‘hamstring injury’ after which he suffered a back injury. He made a comeback during the Zimbabwe tour. Getting the three fast bowlers to Australia at the right time will also help them adjust to the conditions there so that they are ready to play when the need arises.
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Shami is the front runner for his place in the team due to his experience but Siraj had a stellar performance in the recently concluded ODI series against South Africa in which he was adjudged the player of the series. Siraj took five wickets in three matches. He took three of these wickets in the second ODI in Ranchi. Shardul is a contender due to his all-round ability but he is likely to remain in the standby list. Ravi Bishnoi and Shreyas Iyer are unlikely to travel to Australia for the time being. If the team needs a player instead of a batsman, then only they can join the team.
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