In January, Shami had revealed he was experience “some stiffness” in his ankle but was confident at being able to recover in time for the England Tests. However, that possibility was ruled out later in the month after he checked in to the BCCI’s National Cricket Academy (NCA) for a reassessment.
Prior to that, Shami had been included in India’s squad for the South Africa Tests but was withdrawn after the ankle pain that ruled him out of the white-ball leg of the tour didn’t subside.
In Shami’s absence, India have handed Test caps to Mukesh Kumar (in the Caribbean) and Akash Deep (in Ranchi against England) during the ongoing WTC cycle where he hasn’t featured in a single game. Shami’s last Test was the WTC final against Australia at The Oval last June.
The injury is also expected to rule him out of the upcoming T20 World Cup, which begins in the Caribbean and USA five days after the conclusion of the IPL.
