IND vs ENG 2021: Mohammad Shami fit for Old Trafford Test; Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara being assessed - Reports
BCCI officials have provided injury updates on Team India's two crucial players - Rohit Sharma and Mohammad Shami - ahead of the final Test against England at Old Trafford.
According to PTI, Mohammad Shami has recovered completely and is now fit to play the match. After taking 11 wickets in the first three Tests, the pacer missed out at The Oval due to a niggle.
He joined the team on Wednesday and is likely to return to the XI straightaway.
"Shami is fit. And when Shami is fit, he is an automatic choice," a senior BCCI official told PTI.
Shami could either replace Jasprit Bumrah, if the team decides to manage the latter's workload ahead of a packed IPL season, or last match's lowest wicket-taker in Mohammed Siraj.
The news agency also reported that Rohit Sharma, who suffered a knee injury at The Oval, is recovering well and could be in for a chance to play in the final Test.
However, the extent of the injury remains uncertain and a call on the opener's availability could be delayed until the team's press conference on Thursday or even the first morning of the match on Friday.
Meanwhile, Test specialist Cheteshwar Pujara is also indisposed. He strained his ankle during his half-century in the third innings at The Oval and looked in visible discomfort on the pitch.
Like Rohit Sharma, the call on his availability could be postponed until the last moment as well.
Who can replace Rohit Sharma and Cheteshwar Pujara for the final Test?
While India will sweat for both Rohit Sharma and Cheteshwar Pujara's return to fitness, they have quite a few options available if the need arises.
If Rohit Sharma, who is also the leading run-scorer for India in the series, remains unfit, India will most likely look at Mayank Agarwal as a replacement.
Agarwal was the first-choice opener for the first Test but had to allow KL Rahul to take his place when he suffered a concussion on the eve of the match. Prithvi Shaw and Abhimanyu Easwaran are the other two options as replacements for Rohit, but the team is unlikely to tread that way.
Meanwhile, Hanuma Vihari and Suryakumar Yadav could be the probable replacements for Cheteshwar Pujara, with the former having the edge due to his superior Test experience.