Indian cricketer Mohammed Shami has blasted reports that he could miss the upcoming 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) in Australia. The veteran pacer who had faced a setback in his recovery from injury, has hit back at suggestions from the media. (More Cricket News)
"Why these type of baseless rumors? I'm working hard and trying my level best to recover. Neither the BCCI nor me have mentioned that I am out of the Border Gavaskar series. I request the public to stop paying attention to such news from unofficial sources. Please stop and don’t spread such fake fake fake & fake news, especially without my statement," wrote Shami on X (formerly Twitter)
Shami has not played any competitive cricket since the 2023 World Cup final against Australia in Ahmedabad. The 34-year-old had also missed the tour to South Africa and the home series against England earlier this year due to an ankle issue.
Shami later underwent a surgery in February, that meant he missed the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 and the T20 World Cup.
The pacer was expected to make a comeback in the Ranji Trophy before being included in the Indian Test squad for the second or third Test and then boarding a flight Down Under. However, there have been no conclusive reports to suggest that the 34-year-old could play Bengal's opening game on October 11.
India will be heading to Australia for a five-match Test series as they aim to win the BGT for a fifth time in a row. This is the first time that India and Australia will play a five-match series in Tests.
India will first play a Test match at Perth's Optus Stadium on November 22 before the team flying to Adelaide for pink-ball Test. The remaining three Tests will be played at Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney.
