India captain Shubman Gill has hinted that the veteran pacer Mohammed Shami might not make it to the long-term plans of the national team even though the bowler still plays domestic cricket on behalf of Bengal.
These remarks by Gill were made at Kolkata before the series of Test matches against South Africa and seemed to take a similar position by the selectors to the failure of the 35-year-old to feature in recent Indian teams.
Shubman Gill Hints Shami May Be Out of India’s Long-Term Test Plans
“I believe that a bowler of this quality as Shami Bhai is not an easy thing to come by but you must also consider the bowlers playing, Gill said when questioned on the omission of Shami. They have been doing an outstanding work up to now,” said Shubman Gill.
He added, “The plays of such a person as Akash Deep or Prasidh Krishna you cannot disregard. We are all aware of what Siraj and Bumrah have been doing in Tests. On other occasions, it is extremely hard on players such as Shami Bhai when they are forced to miss out.”
The India captain further said that the selections of the team were being directed by the future planning and conditions and not by sentiment. We should be informed about what the next series will be, where we are playing it, so as to be on the safe side. What type of fast bowlers will provide us with the best opportunity? On the issue of fitness and selection, Gill said that the selectors would better be placed to provide a clear answer on the same.
The selection committee, which was headed by Ajit Agarkar, was also criticized over excluding Shami in the team to play the South Africa Tests despite his 93 overs in the current season of the Ranji Trophy. Shami, who played his last game in India at the Champions Trophy in March is returning after a heel injury that necessitated surgery after the 2023 World Cup.
Mohammed Shami’s Road Back to Team India Looks Tough
Although Shami has availed himself to Bengal, it has been reported that national selectors and BCCI support staff feel that he is not fit to meet the demands of Test cricket.
A report published by PTI suggests that the selectors had been making numerous calls to enquire about his preparedness even inviting him to feature in India A playing against the England Lions in order to demonstrate his fitness to play. Shami allegedly refused on the grounds that he had to establish his workload.
There are still concerns whether the 35-year-old is able to maintain long periods at maximum velocity during Test conditions. His new Bengal performances have seen him bowl short four-over spells with a couple of breaks and his average speed has fallen below 130kmph a long way under the 135-140kmph bursts that were characteristic of his career.
As younger fast bowlers like Akash Deep and Prasidh Krishna begin to emerge and the likes of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj continue to form a stable pair of what used to be known as senior fast bowlers, the way back to Shami is now appearing even more dubious.
The selectors have been interpreted to be targeting on future season fitness and load control, before the overseas tours of next year and the ODI world cup of 2027.
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