After suffering the humiliation of getting bowled out for their lowest ever Test score, Indian cricket team's day only got more depressing with fast bowler Mohammad Shami getting ruled out from the rest of the series. The fast bowler suffered a fracture on his right arm which won't heal in time for him for the remaining matches.
What caused the injury was a rising delivery from Pat Cummins which hit the bowler on his unprotected arm, forcing him to retire hurt, despite all the attempts of the team's medical staff to help the seamer continue his innings. This was despite Indian team being 36/9 and needing six runs to avoid their lowest ever Test score.
At the post-match presentation ceremony and press conference, India captain Virat Kohli informed everyone that the fast bowler has gone for a scan and was unable to lift his arm at the time. The report from the scans turned out to be as bad as feared, further depleting an already depleted Indian side.
When India won the 2018/19 series in Australia, they did that on the back of a sterling effort by their pace attack, consisting of Shami, Ishant Sharma, and Jasprit Bumrah. Even before the start of the tour, Sharma was ruled out with an injury suffered during his time in Indian Premier League (IPL).
With Virat Kohli going back to India and set to miss the remaining matches, Indian team's chances of making a comeback look very grim. Rohit Sharma is likely to be available for the last two matches of the series. But even that doesn't seem enough to make up for the three missing players - Kohli, Sharma, and Shami.
In the absence of Shami, either Mohammad Siraj or Navdeep Saini are likely to get a go in the next Test. What is a stroke of sheer bad luck for Shami might turn out to be a golden opportunity for one of these two bowlers.
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