Umesh Yadav likely to replace COVID positive Mohammed Shami in T20I squad for Australia series - Reports

2022 has not been a good year of Mohammed Shami's T20I career. The pacer was excluded from India's T20I teams till the Asia Cup in September. Now, when he was all set to feature in a home T20I series against Australia, he tested COVID positive and looks likely to be replaced in the squad by Umesh Yadav.

According to a report by Cricbuzz, Shami has not reached Mohali, the venue for the first T20I of the series between India and Australia. Umesh looks set to be his replacement.

Fans should note that Umesh Yadav has not played a single T20I match for India since the home series against Australia in 2019. He has played only seven T20Is so far in his career, scalping nine wickets.

Yadav had a fantastic IPL season with the Kolkata Knight Riders earlier this year, where he was among the top wicket-takers. His bowling in the powerplay overs impressed the fans and helped KKR win multiple matches in the tournament.

However, the difference between IPL and T20I cricket has repeatedly become apparent. Many top performers from the Indian league have struggled to replicate their success at the international level. Whether Yadav does that or not remains to be seen.

When was the last time Mohammed Shami played a T20I match for India?

Mohammed Shami has played Tests and ODIs for India regularly (Image: Getty)

While Umesh Yadav has a chance of playing his first T20I in three years, Shami has not played T20I cricket since the T20 World Cup last year. His last appearance in the shortest format of the game came against Namibia at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on November 8, 2021.

Shami is one of the reserves in India's squad for the ICC T20 World Cup. His availability for the forthcoming series against South Africa is dependent on his recovery from COVID-19.

It is worth mentioning that former India coach Ravi Shastri strongly advocated for Mohammed Shami's inclusion in the Indian T20I squad. The Indian bowling wasn't up to the mark in Asia Cup with even the experienced Bhuvneshwar Kumar proving largely ineffective.

Is Umesh Yadav the perfect choice to replace Shami in the squad? Share your views in the comments below.