The Indian fast-bowling sensation Mohammed Shami fails to make the cut and is all set to be omitted from the upcoming Border Gavaskar trophy scheduled to commence in November later this year. The 34-year-old has not regained his full fitness following his ankle surgery which took place earlier this year in February. Shami, who last featured for India in the ODI World Cup final in 2023 has been absent from professional cricket since. The speedster is tirelessly putting in the hard yards and is working day and night to get "match-ready" to pursue international duties for India.

In order to get back to the red-ball arena, Shami has to prove his fitness and deliver some formidable performances in the ongoing Ranji season for his side Bengal. Shami was reportedly spotted bowling with a strapped knee in the nets in Bengaluru under bowling coach Morne Morkel's supervision.  As per reports, there is still a slim window of opportunity for him to make it into the 18-member squad subject to his fitness at the time of the tour. 

How will Shami's absence hurt India's chances of succeeding in the forthcoming BGT Trophy? 

Shami's hostile outlook makes him a lethal pace bowler and a force to reckon with for the opposition. The all-format specialist seamer has delivered countless fiery spells for the country on the biggest of the stages, mostly in winning causes. It goes without saying that his absence will not only hurt but also cost India a spot in the WTC final. India are still reeling after suffering a devasting Test series loss at the hands of the Black Caps and Shami could have been someone who could have pulled India out of their misery. 

Shami has an appreciable record on Australian soil. He has bagged 31 wickets in eight Tests at a decent average of 32.16 which also includes his best figures of 6-56. Moreover, the speedster also has a proven track record in the WTC history and has claimed a staggering 85 wickets from 24 Tests. 

His absence from the squad will now leave the rookie Indian pace attack exposed to difficult conditions down under in Australia. Shami's demonstrated experience could have been more than handy in such conditions but now the BCCI will have to rely on the young brigade featuring the likes of Prasidh Krishna, Harshith Rana, and Nitish Kumar Reddy to deliver the goods. The series loss of 0-2 against New Zealand has complicated India's WTC qualification scenario and they are now presented with an uphill task of winning four out of their last six fixtures, five of which would be against the star-studded Australian team.