A month before IPL 2024 starts, Gujarat Titans have been dealt a blow as Mohammed Shami has been ruled out of the tournament with an ankle injury. He is now set to undergo surgery in Britain.
Shami has not been seen in action since the ODI World Cup last year. He was also not selected for the South African tour due to injury. Then, he was also ruled out of the current Test series against England. Shami’s absence will be a big miss for Gujarat as he is their main pace bowler.
The T20 World Cup is to be held after the IPL
Shami was injured during the World Cup itself. He played in the World Cup with an injured ankle. In that tournament, he performed brilliantly and took 24 wickets in seven matches. He was the bowler who took the most wickets. However, after this, he is continuously away from cricket action. Now it has been decided to get his injury properly treated. In such a situation, it may take several months for Shami to recover. The T20 World Cup is to be held right after the IPL and now there is doubt over Shami playing in it. However, there are still three months left for that.
Replacement may be announced soon
Shami has been playing for Gujarat Titans since 2022 and played an important role in the team reaching the finals in both seasons. In IPL 2022, Shami took 20 wickets in 16 matches and was the sixth-highest wicket taker. Whereas, in 2023, Shami took 28 wickets in 17 matches. He was the highest wicket-taker bowler last season. Gujarat will suffer a lot this year due to Shami’s absence. The two most experienced players of the team will not be with them this season. Shubman Gill has been appointed captain for this season in place of Hardik. At the same time, the team can soon announce Shami’s replacement.
Two experienced fast bowlers in the form of Mohit and Umesh
Apart from Shami, Gujarat has two experienced bowlers in the form of Mohit Sharma and Umesh Yadav. At the same time, there are three young bowlers in the form of Darshan Nalkande, Sushant Mishra and Karthik Tyagi. Josh Little performed well last year and he can also prove useful for the team. Apart from this, the team also bought Australian fast bowler Spencer Johnson in the auction. As a replacement for Hardik, Gujarat had bought Afghanistan’s brilliant all-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai. He can also bowl fast.
