Shami, Siraj, and Shardul to join Indian contingent 

Mumbai: As Deepak Chahar is sidelined for at least six more weeks due to a back injury, the BCCI has asked the pace trio of Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, and Shardul Thakur to join India’s touring party in Brisbane ahead of the T20 World Cup.

One of the three pacers will be formally added to India’s squad before Oct. 15 as Jasprit Bumrah’s replacement for the marquee event. While Shami was at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru for strength and conditioning after having recovered from COVID, Siraj and Shardul were part of the ODI series triumph against South Africa.

According to the original plan, Chahar, Shami, and Siraj were to travel to Brisbane on Wednesday night as replacement­ cum back­up options. With Chahar’s back injury resurfacing last week, the national selection panel decided to replace him with Shardul. While Shami and Chahar were named as stand-byes, along with batter Shreyas Iyer and leggie Ravi Bishnoi when the squad was announced last month, Siraj and Shardul have since come into the picture with Bumrah and Chahar breaking down.

The Indian team already has left­arm pacers Chetan Sakariya and Mukesh Choudhary as net bowlers.