Why is Mohammed Shami not playing today’s 3rd ODI between Australia and India?

Mohammed Shami not playing: The Indian fast bowler is among the four changes made by the hosts for the third ODI in Canberra.

During the third ODI of the ongoing India’s tour of Australia in Canberra, India captain Virat Kohli has won the toss and chose to bat in what is a dead-rubber after the visitors have lost the first two matches of the three-match series.

Australia captain Aaron Finch, on the other hand, dismissed talks of the match being a “dead-rubber” saying that his team will do everything it can to register a third consecutive victory. As far as the changes for the hosts other than the obvious of opening batsman David Warner and vice-captain Pat Cummins are concerned, Finch also revealed that pacer Mitchell Starc has been rested for this match.

“We have got three changes. [Mitchell] Starc got a back and rib niggle and the medical team informed us that he will greatly benefit by resting, and obviously Davey [David Warner] and Pat Cummins not playing today. No such thing as a dead-rubber when you are playing for Australia and we will be doing everything we can to try and win the game,” Finch told Fox Sports at the toss.

As far as replacements are concerned, Australia have handed a debut to all-rounder Cameron Green as Warner’s replacement. In the bowling department, all-rounder Ashton Agar and pacer Sean Abbott have been included for Cummins and Starc.

Why is Mohammed Shami not playing today’s 3rd ODI between Australia and India?

Compared to Australia’s three, India have made as many as four changes to their Playing XI in a bid to register their maiden victory on this tour. “We will bat first. Looks a nice wicket and the last time we played here it was a really good wicket to bat on. Want to bat well and put the opposition under pressure,” India captain Virat Kohli told Fox Sports.

For India, opening batsman Shubman Gill, pacers Shardul Thakur and debutant T. Natarajan and spinner Kuldeep Yadav have replaced opening batsman Mayank Agarwal, pacers Navdeep Saini and Mohammed Shami and spinner Yuzvendra Chahal.

What a day for Natarajan. What a story. If you are 29, don’t lose hope. Wish him well.

— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) December 2, 2020

While Kohli wasn’t asked the rationale behind making so many changes especially that of resting Shami, one understands that the same has been done to try other players in the squad. With Shami briefly walking-off the ground in the last ODI in Sydney, the Indian think-tank might have thought of resting him for this match.

About the author

Dixit Bhargav

Born and brought up in Pathankot, Dixit Bhargav is an engineering and sports management graduate who works as a Cricket Editor at The SportsRush. Having written more than 10,000 articles across more than five years at TSR, his first cricketing memory dates back to 2002 when former India captain Sourav Ganguly had waved his jersey at the historic Lord’s balcony. What followed for an 8-year-old was an instant adulation for both Ganguly and the sport. The optimist in him is waiting for the day when Punjab Kings will win their maiden Indian Premier League title. When not watching cricket, he is mostly found in a cinema hall watching a Punjabi movie.

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