'He's probably not as professional as Bumrah...': Karthik on why Shami may not play in Test series vs Australia

Mohammed Shami was ruled out of India's tour of Bangladesh with a shoulder injury.

Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah are India's fast-bowling spearheads, particularly in Test cricket, but both players did not feature in the recently concluding tour of Bangladesh. While Shami was ruled out with a shoulder injury, Bumrah was recovering from a back injury that had seen him sit out the 2022 T20 World Cup as well.

Bumrah and Shami have not bowled together for a considerable period of time due to injuries (Getty Images)

Bumrah posted videos of himself bowling full tilt in the nets earlier this month, with the caption “Full throttle”, indicating that he has regained full fitness. It raised hopes of him returning for India's upcoming home Test series against Australia. However, there has been no update on Shami, who had replaced Bumrah in the Indian squad for the T20 World Cup.

Veteran India wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik has said that he has his doubts over whether Shami might return for the Australia series considering the difference between his approach towards training as compared to Bumrah. "For Shami, it’s a big question, because he is somebody who is probably not as professional as Bumrah when it comes to training. He has had an injury and he’s been injury-struck for some time,” said Karthik on Cricbuzz.

“The whole Indian backups have been injured over a period of time for some strange reason. The Indian team and NCA need to align themselves towards how they are going to plan in making sure the players stay fit over a period of time,” he said.