Injured Irfan Pathan out of tri-series

India allrounder Irfan Pathan has been ruled out of the upcoming tri-series in the West Indies due to a hamstring injury. He has been replaced by the right-arm seamer Shami Ahmed, who has already played five ODIs.

Irfan was part of the Champions Trophy squad but did not get a game. He bowled in the warm-up match against Sri Lanka and finished with expensive figures of 0 for 45 from five overs. Irfan last played for India during the limited-overs tour of Sri Lanka in 2012 but another hamstring injury cut short his Ranji Trophy season.

Shami, who represents Bengal, made his debut when Pakistan toured India for a limited-overs series in January. Shami's inclusion is the only change to thesquad, which otherwise has the same set of players who were picked for the Champions Trophy.

"It is nice to be called back into the squad," Shami told ESPNcricinfo from Kolkata hours before leaving for Jamaica, where India will open their campaign on June 30 against the hosts. "I think I fared pretty well against Pakistan and England (earlier this year) and had received encouraging feedback from my team-mates and coaching staff."

Shami made his international debut in a low-scoring ODI against Pakistan in Delhi in January. He returned with an impressive haul of 1 for 23 off nine overs, becoming the first Indian bowler to bowl four or more maiden overs on debut. The right-arm seamer, who relies more on line and length, then featured in four ODIs against England, taking three wickets.

However, Shami was benched for most of the IPL, playing only three games for the Kolkata Knight Riders. Apart from the disappointment of being left out for the Champions Trophy, what hurt Shami more was the lack of faith shown on him by his franchise, having worked "really hard" and was "bowling very well" going into the IPL.

"No doubt it was upsetting. But then I realised, the more you sulk, the more it hurts, so I stopped thinking about it," Shami said. "Instead I started focusing on keeping myself fit and striving to improve in the nets and the results are there to see."

Injured Irfan Pathan out of tri-series

Irfan Khan Pathan Profile

Profile

Irfan Khan Pathan was considered by many, with reason, as the most talented swing and seam bowler to emerge from India since Kapil Dev. Within a couple of years in international cricket, he was thought of as a possible successor for Kapil in the allround department. When he made his Test debut in Australia in 2003-04, it was with the energy of a 19-year-old, but a composed nous that was striking even for one who had been specifically readied for the purpose via the A-team and age-group channels. His instinct is not merely what to bowl to who and when, but also to keep learning new tricks. He played a big part in India's one-day and the Test series wins on their revival tour of Pakistan. His batting soon took off and he was regularly pushed up the order - his first stint at No.3 resulted in a spectacular 83 against Sri Lanka at Nagpur - and he often bailed India out of strife in the Test arena as well. His bowling form, though, nosedived in 2006, and he struggled to make it to both the Test and ODI teams when the year ended, becoming the first Indian player to be sent back from a tour (South Africa) to concentrate on domestic cricket. He did make it to the World Cup squad but didn't figure in a single game during India's disappointing campaign, after which he was dropped from both the Test and one-day sides. Recalled to the side for the ICC World Twenty20 in South Africa in September 2007, Pathan did not disappoint, snapping up 10 wickets at 14.90. His crucial spell of 3 for 16 in the final against Pakistan earned him the Man-of-the-Match award.

Pathan returned to the ODI side for the home series against Australia and Pakistan, and showed he had rediscovered his bowling rhythm, based on which he was handed a recall in the third Test against Pakistan in Bangalore. His celebrated his comeback to the Test team after 19 months by making his first Test hundred. Pathan was subsequently picked for the Test series in Australia, but was benched for the first two matches. He was brought in for the Perth Test, where he played a crucial part in India's famous win - with scores of 28 and 46 and five wickets to claim the Man-of-the-Match award.

Irfan lost his place in the India squad in 2009 and subsequently struggled with a loss of form and injuries. A back injury forced him to spend eight months on the sidelines after the 2010 IPL, and he missed the entire domestic season. However, that did not stop him from being bought for $1.8 million by Delhi Daredevils at the 2011 IPL auction in January. He returned to action in the 2011 IPL in April, but had mixed results. However, he impressed during the 2011-12 Ranji Trophy, where he was the leading wicket-taker after four rounds, and his performances earned him a recall to the national side when he was picked for the final two ODIs against the West Indies in December, 2011. He came into his own during the one-day series in Sri Lanka in 2012, finishing as the highest wicket-taker and most economical bowler before he was set back by injury once more.

Irfan Pathan Reacts after taking IPswingkasultanWicket