Indian pacer Mohammed Shami has been ruled out of the upcoming T20I series against Australia as he tested positive for COVID-19. Reports say that he was supposed to reach Mohali by yesterday to play the first T20I but had to back out at the last minute after testing positive for the coronavirus.
Umesh Yadav is most likely to be Shami’s replacement in the series. His availability is subject to him testing negative for COVID-19. Once he undergoes tests and passes successfully, he may officially get announced as the replacement for Shami. An official announcement is expected to be made by the BCCI later today.
Already, Team India reached Mohali and it is heard that even the Australian squad has also arrived. The first T20I will be held on September 20 (Tuesday). The second and third T20Is will be held on September 23 (Nagpur) and September 25 (Hyderabad) respectively.
As the T20I World Cup starts in less than a month, both teams are taking this bilateral series seriously. After showing dismal performance in the Asia Cup earlier this month, Team India is looking forward to making a strong comeback in this series. Before the T20I World Cup, India also plays a T20I and ODI home series against South Africa.
