A “freak injury” to his back is causing Indian cricketer Shivam Mavi to miss the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy. Mavi, with six T20 Internationals for India under his belt, found himself initially included in India’s Asian Games squad. Nevertheless, his unforeseen injury necessitated his replacement by Akash Deep.
The seamer suffered the injury a mere day before his intended arrival at the preparatory camp for Asia Cup in Alur. According to a BCCI release dated September 16, Mavi’s injury rules him out of the upcoming competition.
“Shivam Mavi’s 12th rib has a stress fracture. Not during formal practice, but rather when he was bowling only from, say, half the run-up. It’s likely that he will face a prolonged period on the sidelines because this injury is unusual for a fast bowler,” remarked a source.
The road to recovery appears to be a long one for Uttar Pradesh quick.
“As things stand, he would likely miss the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy, two white-ball competitions. Although he could be healthy by the start of the Ranji Trophy, the longer format wouldn’t be the best for staging a comeback after being away from cricket for so long,” he added.
Mavi has had his share of injuries throughout his career, including back-to-back stress fractures in 2018. However, this latest injury is considered unusual for fast bowlers.
Freak injuries might occur if the player does not notice in the initial stage,” Ramji Srinivasan, former India Strength and Conditioning coach said.
The Asian Games-bound squad is currently preparing under the guidance of the NCA coaching staff. They will enter the competition directly from the quarter-final stage. India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Pakistan are the top teams in the tournament.