India’s veteran pacer Mohammed Shami has begun his training module ahead of the two-match Test series against South Africa starting December 26 in Centurion.
Shami took to Instagram to post a video of himself while batting in the nets at his farmhouse in Amroha, Uttar Pradesh. The 33-year-old India player seems cognizant of the fact that the Indian batting will be tested to its core during the Test series against the Proteas.
Hence, if players like Shami who bat in the lower order can chip in with crucial contributions and make the India tail wag then it can play a decisive role in determining the outcome of the game and the series. Notably, there were reports that Shami was battling an ankle condition and was in Mumbai for a few days. It was possibly the reason why his participation in the Test series was subject to fitness.
As per a PTI report, the right-arm speedster was in Mumbai a few days ago to consult a sports orthopaedic regarding his ankle condition. But Shami’s training video has emerged as an encouraging sign ahead of the African tour.
Significantly, India have not managed to win a single Test series on South African soil thus far. The Indian team has been on eight Test tours to South Africa and lost seven out of those, while the 2010-11 series ended in a draw (1-1).
India’s Test squad for the South Africa tour:
Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan (wk), KL Rahul (wk), R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah (vc), Prasidh Krishna.
South Africa’s Test squad:
Temba Bavuma (c), David Bedingham, Nandre Burger, Gerald Coetzee, Tony de Zorzi, Dean Elgar, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Keegan Petersen, Kagiso Rabada, Tristan Stubbs and Kyle Verreynne