Shami Dropped, Prasidh Krishna In, As BCCI Announces Squad For Border-Gavaskar Trophy

India are all set to travel to Australia as they face the reigning WTC champions in a five-match Test Series beginning on November 22 for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) have announced the squad for the series. While regular players such as captain Rohit Sharma, vice-captain Jasprit Bumrah, and star batter Virat Kohli are included, there are some surprising omissions and inclusions.

One significant exclusion that surprised everyone was of Mohammed Shami. There were expectations that Shami would finally make his long awaited comeback from injury, but he was not named in the 18-member squad. The pacer has not played for India since the ODI World Cup last year. Recently, he was seen bowling to Indian batters during the first Test of a three-match series against New Zealand in Bengaluru in October.

Why Mohammed Shami is dropped from Border-Gavaskar Trophy squad?

Mohammed Shami played through an ankle injury during his historic ODI World Cup 2023 campaign where he was one of the key members of the Indian team that finished runners-up. However, this injury has hindered him from participating in competitive events since then. He even underwent a surgery, and was subsequently rehabilitated at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru in an effort to get fit for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

According to reports, he sustained another knee injury while he was rehabilitating. This has most probably derailed his progress, and he unfortunately was forced to miss the all-important tour to Australia. He is yet to regain full fitness following his ankle surgery.

Why is Prasidh Krishna included in the squad?

Prasidh Krishna makes a comeback following rehabilitation for a stress fracture. The Karnataka seamer showcased his skills during India A’s recent Duleep Trophy victory. He made his Test debut against South Africa in 2023 and played two matches for India.

Vice-captain Jasprit Bumrah will be the pace spearhead and will be assisted by Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, and Harshit Rana. Nitish Reddy, a seam-bowling all-rounder, has been added because the management wants a player who can bat at number 7 or 8 and also serve as a fourth seamer in Australian conditions. 

Interestingly, the three traveling reserves — Mukesh Kumar, Navdeep Saini and Khaleel Ahmed - too are all pacers. That shows how uncertain team management is without Shami's assistance. Earlier it was reported that Shami has developed swollen knees and could be out for six to eight weeks. The team management was looking for tall fast bowlers who can hit the deck. That's why Krishna made the cut.

Krishna's inclusion in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) squad could add a different dimension to India's bowling attack. He can use the bounce of the ball, which is especially important after the ball has been in play for 30–35 overs. Krishna could provide a third seamer with a different style than the others in the squad.

Why does the India Test team for BGT and the T20I team for the South Africa tour not have a single player in common?

With the South Africa tour partially coinciding with the Test tour of Australia, the T20I squad is without fast bowler Harshit Rana and allrounder Nitish Kumar Reddy, as well as established all-format players including Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Jasprit Bumrah and the injured Kuldeep Yadav.

Also, one of the key challenges in managing separate Test and T20I squads is ensuring player fitness and workload management. With the hectic schedules of modern cricket, teams must carefully balance player participation to prevent injuries and burnout in both formats.

India’s squad for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy

Rohit Sharma(c), Jasprit Bumrah(vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant(wk), Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel(wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar.

Reserves: Mukesh Kumar, Navdeep Saini, Khaleel Ahmed

India’s squad for South Africa tour

Suryakumar Yadav(c), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson(wk), Rinku Singh, Tilak Varma, Jitesh Sharma(wk), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Ramandeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Avesh Khan, Yash Dayal.

Cover Credits - BCCI Official