The India vs England five Test series is currently positioned at a crucial juncture. The Indian cricket team had a rare debacle at home in the first Test and is aiming to level the series when the second Test starts in Visakhapatnam on Friday. However ahead of the Test, there are some bad news for the Indian cricket team. According to a report in Cricbuzz, the Indian cricket team may not get the services of veteran fast bowler Mohammed Shami for he entire series. The ODI World Cup 2023's highest wicket-taker has been missing from action for quite some time now.
The report said that Shami is currently in London. There is no immediate information about surgery, according to the report, but he is believed to be undergoing treatments for the ankle with injections. "It is almost certain he will not be available for any match of the ongoing five-Test series," the report said.
The report also added that Ravindra Jadeja is unlikely to return to action anytime soon. Jadeja suffered a hamstring injury and was ruled out of the second Test starting Friday. However, according to the report, the star spinner could be sidelined for a few more weeks. In fact, the report said, "it would be remarkable if he manages to be fit for the fourth Test in Ranchi from February 23 to 27, making him almost certain to miss the third Test in his hometown of Rajkot."
head of the second Test match against England, India wicketkeeper-batter KS Bharat on Thursday stated there is no panic in the injury-plagued hosts' camp despite falling to visitors in the first game of the five-match series. Bharat said that the squad has devised fresh tactics to thwart England's aggressive approach, one of which is employing the sweep shot when necessary during the second Test in Visakhapatnam. Bharat claimed the team had improved since the first game of the series when England staged an amazing comeback to win by a margin of 28 runs.
Due of the injuries, India will be missing top-order batter KL Rahul and star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja in the second Test.
"In our team meetings, we spoke about the things we could have done better and yes, we certainly have few plans. (We are) definitely looking at the way how they went about the first game, playing some reverse. That's something we have definitely worked on," Bharat said in a pre-match press conference.
"After the game, the atmosphere is absolutely relaxed. They told us not to panic, which we are not. But then the instruction is very clear, it's a long Test series and we have played a lot of series like this in the past," he added.