Indian pacer Mohammed Shami will miss the remaining three Tests against Australia after suffering a fracture on his bowling wrist during the series opener in Adelaide.
The fast bowler was hit on the arm by a Pat Cummins short ball during India's second innings on Saturday which ended at a record lowest 36 for nine. He was taken to a hospital for scans, which revealed a fracture.
"Mohammed Shami has a fracture and the chances of him taking part in the remaining three Test matches is next to nil," a BCCI source told PTI on conditions of anonymity.
He added that Mohammed Siraj, for his impressive show in the two warm-up games, will be in line for a Boxing Day Test debut in Melbourne.
With no Virat Kohli available for the next three games due to his impending fatherhood, the Indian team is grappling with a lot of issues on multiple fronts.
Shami has been one of India's most lethal weapons and his absence will not only weaken the bowling attack but India will also miss a sound cricket brain on the field.
According to ANI, sources in the know of developments said that the terrible pain was a result of the fracture he has sustained.
"Yes, he has a fracture and that is why he could not grip the bat and lift it at the crease. It looked bad and the worst fear has come true," the source said.
That Shami will be unavailable was indicative when skipper Kohli, at the post-match presentation ceremony, said that the fast bowler found it difficult to even lift his arm.
"He was in a lot of pain, couldn't even lift his arm. We'll probably know in the evening what happens," Kohli revealed after the visitors succumbed to an eight-wicket loss.
The team's medical staff rushed in to his aid during the match and after some deliberation, Shami decided to walk back to the dressing room ending the visitors' innings in 21.2 overs.
After the physiotherapist Nitin Patel applied what looked like a painkilling spray, Shami tried to resume batting but didn't seem comfortable and decided against continuing.
Australia pacer Josh Hazlewood feels the visitors might find it hard to have a replacement for the "class-bowler" like Shami for rest of the Test series.
Hazlewood, who turned the third afternoon of the pink-ball Test into a nightmare for the Indian batsmen, said Australia too wants to know the extent of Shami's injury.
"It's obviously a blow, we are going to see how bad it was. He will undergo scans to see if there is any fracture or bruising. We wanna find out how much damage is done," Hazlewood said during the virtual post-match press conference.
"He is a class-bowler and he showed this in the game. So India might have to dig deeper in their arsenal to try and cover and him but we probably expect him to play, I am not sure how bad the injury is," he added.
After India were bundled out on 36 on day three -- setting Australia a target of just 90 -- Joe Burns smashed a career-saving unbeaten 51 and Matthew Wade hit 33 as the duo put on 70 for the opening wicket to extinguish any hopes India had of staging a fightback.
India are now 0-1 down in the four-match series.
The two teams will meet again on December 26 for the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne, where the visitors will be without the services of Kohli, who will head back home for the birth of his first child.
