The primary concern for the Indian team as it embarks on a month-long all-format tour of South Africa is Mohammed Shami’s injury. The Indian pacer, widely regarded as one of the world’s top seam and swing bowlers, is reportedly suffering from ankle problems. Although the team management and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) are yet to make a decision on his participation in the tour, his ankle appears to be a source of concern.

Shami was included to the squad for the two-Test series but was unsurprisingly sidelined for the white-ball phase of the tour, which includes three T20Is and three ODIs. He has also been named to the three-day warm-up game before of the Test series, which begins on December 26 at Centurion in Pretoria. The BCCI indicated that Shami’s participation in the tour is depending on his recuperation when the squads were announced on November 30.

“Mr. Mohd. Shami is currently undergoing medical treatment, and his availability is subject to fitness,” said the BCCI at the time of announcing the squad on November 30.

Shami has been struggling with an ankle niggle, which has remained since the World Cup, according to reports. Despite finishing as the World Cup’s leading wicket-taker, Shami played with discomfort, notably when landing while bowling.

The Indian squad is expected to leave Bengaluru in the early hours of Wednesday morning for Durban via Dubai. Coach Rahul Dravid and all of his support team will accompany the Twenty20 side captained by Suryakumar Yadav. The first Twenty20 match is set for December 10 at Durban’s Kingsmead.

BCCI files case against Byju’s in NCLT

In another development, the BCCI has filed an insolvency lawsuit against Byju’s, the company that sponsored the Indian team’s uniform. The BCCI accuses the edtech company of a Rs 150 crore default, and the action has been filed with the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT). The case is thought to have been filed in Bengaluru.

As of the time of publication, neither the BCCI nor Byju’s executive director, Byju Raveendran, has responded to a communication from this website. The case has been set for a hearing on December 22nd, according to the NCLT website.