Ajinkya Rahane replaced, Mohammad Shami doubtful for Mumbai Test

The Indian team has been hit with a couple of injury scares a day ahead of the fourth Test of the ongoing 5-match series against England. While the team is busy preparing and ironing out their strategies for the Mumbai Test middle-order batsman Ajinkya Rahane has been ruled out while pacer Mohammad Shami remains doubtful for the game.

On the eve of the game while interacting with the media skipper Virat Kohli had admitted that Shami had trouble with his knee after the Mohali Test and he still isn’t cent percent comfortable. The team was willing to give him time and will take a collective decision only by today evening. Rahane sustained an avulsion fracture on right index finger during a practice session which has dismissed his chances of taking part in the series any further.

Talking about Shami’s injury concern Kohli said, “As far as Mohammad Shami is concerned, we will have to take a call in the evening in terms of how he is feeling. After the Mohali Test, he felt some soreness in the knee. We will have to take a collective decision because he has had a history with knee problems. You don’t want to push a player so much so that you lose him for the rest of the season. We still have some time to decide.”

The selectors have opted for Karnataka batsman Manish Pandey as a replacement for Rahane while Mumbai seamer Shardul Thakur has been named as a back-up in case Shami doesn’t make it. Pandey has just played a couple of games in the Ranji Trophy this season where he has scored two half centuries. He has been a trusted member of the ODI team of late and it could be a golden opportunity for him to stake a claim for a permanent spot in the Test team as well.

Thakur, on the other hand, has been in decent form this season with the ball though not his best, he had earlier also featured in the Test team for the tour of West Indies but is yet to make his debut. Both the players have been picked mid-way through a Ranji Trophy game as Karnataka is currently playing Maharashtra while Mumbai is up against Punjab.

NEWS ALERT – @im_manishpandey replaces @ajinkyarahane88, @imShard come in as back up for @MdShami11 for 4th Test @Paytm #INDvENG pic.twitter.com/eFnCMZSfZj

— BCCI (@BCCI) December 7, 2016