NEW DELHI: Mohammed Shami’s eagerly awaited return was further postponed as the Indian bowler was left out of India’s starting eleven for the opening Twenty20 International match against England because the team management didn’t think he would fit in with the lineup given the Eden Gardens track’s characteristics.
After 14 months, everyone was expecting Shami to return to the national team, but when captain Suryakumar Yadav revealed at the toss that he would not be playing, it stoked rumors that the national selectors were not confident in his fitness.
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Abhishek Sharma explained after the game that the veteran bowler was benched due to the circumstances and the combinations that the team management deemed suitable.
“I feel it’s the decision of the team management and they thought it’s a better option keeping in mind of these conditions,” Abhishek said at the post-match press conference in Kolkata.
The fresh look of India The T20 team is entirely Gautam Gambhir’s creation, and it has performed remarkably up to this point by concentrating on role-specific conditions rather than celebrity culture conformity.
‘GamBall’ against ‘Bazball’ was the result of not choosing a bowler of Shami’s caliber, assessing the track, and selecting three specialized spinners and one frontline pacer. It’s safe to assume which philosophy won.
T20Is haven’t been his finest suit, as evidenced by his 11-year international career, in which he played 23 of them with 24 wickets and an economy rate of almost nine runs per over.
Gambhir didn’t want to put a veteran who had just returned from a 14-month forced international break in a situation where Jos Buttler and company could have considered his length to be cannon fodder.
Ironically, the 34-year-old pacer, who appeared to be fully recovered, bowled for about 30 minutes at the side nets, aiming for stumps, while Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav chose to bowl at the toss and declared the playing XI without him.
Shami had bowled full throttle at the India nets in every session, despite having a hefty strapping on his left knee.
Although Abhishek, one of the younger players in the national team, discussed combination, it is still unclear if the senior pacer is still having issues with a swollen left knee following each demanding practice.
Given that captain Suryakumar had voiced confidence in Shami’s inclusion during the pre-match media conference, there didn’t appear to be any serious concerns regarding his fitness.
“It’s always good to have an experienced bowler in your side, and he is making a comeback after over a year. I am really excited to see him. I have witnessed his journey-what he did at the NCA, how he focused on his bowling and recovery. It’s great to see him fit and back in the side,” Suryakumar said on Tuesday.
Shami himself expressed his desire to make a comeback, highlighting the effort he made to demonstrate his fitness by representing Bengal in all three domestic formats, first with the Ranji Trophy, then the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20s, and ending with the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
“The hunger to play for the country should never end. If you love it, you will always fight back, no matter how many injuries you face,” Shami said at a Cricket Association of Bengal event.
“No matter how many matches I play, it always feels like less. Once I leave cricket, I may never get this chance again,” he added during CAB’s felicitation ceremony for the victorious Under-15 women’s cricketers at Eden Gardens on Monday.
Since Sunday, when the camp started, Shami has also been bowling at full throttle after a demanding three-phase exercise that lasted more than an hour.
He returned to bowling full force on the eve of the game on Tuesday without experiencing any discernible discomfort.
Even though his left knee was always strapped, neither the strength and conditioning coach nor the physiotherapist needed to attend to him.
There was only a faint trace of discomfort as he made his way back to the dressing room, taking slow, deliberate movements and appearing to be aware of his left leg.
With star pacer Jasprit Bumrah facing a fitness cloud after suffering a back niggle during the fifth Test in Sydney, Shami’s return has garnered a lot of attention in the run-up to the Champions Trophy.
Ajit Agarkar, the chairman of selectors, also emphasized Shami’s importance during last week’s Champions Trophy selection announcement in Mumbai.
“I don’t think his fitness issues were related to white-ball cricket. We were trying to get him to Australia. Unfortunately, his knee didn’t allow him to play four-day or five-day cricket.
“With white-ball cricket, he has played most of the Syed Mushtaq Ali games and some of the Vijay Hazare games. With uncertainty around Jassi (Bumrah), if Shami is fit and playing regularly, his quality and experience are invaluable,” Agarkar said.
As India look to strike the correct balance before the Champions Trophy, Shami’s next chance to demonstrate his preparedness is probably going to come later in the series.
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