The Absence of Mohammed Shami from India's Test Squad for New Zealand Series: What's the Reason?

Surprisingly, Mohammed Shami was left out of the squad by the selectors. The seasoned fast bowler has been on the sidelines ever since the 2023 ODI World Cup final in November of last year, where he sustained an injury that required surgery. His eyes are now set on a comeback during the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy series.

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As the matches will be in India, Rohit Shamra will be reliant on his spin department which consists of R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav.

Meanwhile, the pace department will consist of Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep. The spin-friendly wickets in India has given Shami more time to recover. Yash Dayal, who had received his maiden Test call-up for the Bangladesh series, als missed out on the squad.

India didn't have a designated vice-captain for the Bangladesh series, but Bumrah has done that role in the past. He has also served as captain once. Meanwhile, Mayank Yadav, Harshit Rana, Prasidh Krishna and Nitish Kumar Reddu have been named as travelling reserves.

Fans will be hoping for Shami's return in November. His highest bowling speed is 153.2 km/h which came vs Australia in the 2014 series at MCG. His success lies in his wrist with his run-up and action being smooth, His wicket-taking ability is lethal, alongwith his reverse swing, and it makes him unplayable at times.

India are currently on top of the WTC table, and New Zealand are in sixth position. Winning the series will see India cement their position in the table ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. They will be hoping to reach their third WTC final.