SA vs IND | Mohammed Shami ruled out with injury, Deepak Chahar and Rahul Dravid to miss ODIs

SA vs IND | Mohammed Shami ruled out with injury, Deepak Chahar and Rahul Dravid to miss ODIs

SportsCafe Desk

By SportsCafe Desk, SportsCafe Editor

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The BCCI confirmed on Saturday that Mohammed Shami won't be traveling to South Africa for the upcoming Test series as he continues his rehab in Bangalore. Deepak Chahar, meanwhile, continues to be unavailable for personal reasons while Rahul Dravid will skip the ODI series to prepare the Test squad.

‌Mohammed Shami had initially been included in the 16-man contingent for the two red-ball matches alongside a note saying he was receiving medical treatment and would only be available subject to fitness. The veteran pacer faced issues with his ankle after a record-breaking World Cup campaign where he finished as the top wicket-taker with 24 scalps. He had also been rested for India's last Test assignment in the Caribbean in July where Mukesh Kumar had made his debut and the squad member is a primary contender for Shami's spot alongside the then-injured Prasidh Krishna, the latter recently impressing with a five-wicket haul against South Africa A. 
The BCCI press release also announced a host of updates for the limited-overs squad, including the unavailability of Deepak Chahar for the 50-over games. The bowling all-rounder had recently returned to national colours in the T20I series against Australia after a long injury lay-off but left the squad after a solitary appearance in the fourth T20I due to a medical family emergency and has since missed the T20I series against the Proteas as well. He has been replaced by Bengal pacer and Asian Games squad member Akash Deep after impressive performances in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy, racking up 10 wickets at an average of 11.60. 
The ODI squad will also not feature Shreyas Iyer for the last two ODIs to allow the batter to prepare for the Test series, having last played a red-ball fixture in March against Australia. He will join Rahul Dravid and his staff in Johannesburg ahead of the first Test beginning December 26 at Centurion while India A coach Sitanshu Kotak alongside Rajiv Dutta (bowling coach) and Ajay Ratra (fielding coach) take over the ODI contingent for the entirety of the series.

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