Shami had to retire hurt after getting hit by Pat Cummins.
A day that promised so much with India leading by 62 runs at the start with 9 wickets in hand, quickly turned into a nightmare for the Indian team as they went down to Australia by 8 wickets on Saturday (December 19) in the day-night Test at Adelaide Oval, after crashing for just 36 in their second innings, their lowest Test total ever.
To make the day even worse, news has come in that fast bowler Mohammad Shami will miss the last three Tests due to a fractured arm. Shami was hit on the right arm by Pat Cummins when he was batting on 1, forcing him to retire hurt in a lot of pain despite making an effort to resume his innings.
As per an ANI source, the terrible pain was a result of the fracture he has sustained. "Yes, he has a fracture and that is why he could not grip the bat and lift it at the crease. It looked bad and the worst fear has come true," the source said.
India skipper Virat Kohli had earlier confirmed Shami was in pain and scans were conducted to check the extent of the injury. "No news on Shami, he is going for a scan now. Was in a lot of pain, could not even lift his arm. We will probably know in the evening what happens," he said at the post-match presentation ceremony.
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Shami went wicketless in the first innings but was unlucky not to be rewarded for his efforts with some wickets. He played an important role in India's historic series win in Australia in 2018/19 and was expected to shoulder the burden of the pace attack with Jasprit Bumrah after veteran Ishant Sharma too was ruled out due to an injury.
BCCI is yet to confirm the news and it will be interesting to see whether the team management will seek a replacement for Shami. Kartik Tyagi, Shardul Thakur and T Natarajan are with the team as net bowlers in Australia for the four-match series.