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Before the BCCI’s national team selection panel announced the squad for India’s upcoming ODI series against New Zealand, a name being floated for a return to the team was that of Mohammed Shami. The highly experienced Indian seamer hasn’t played for India since the victorious Champions Trophy, as he has battled injury and a loss of rhythm, but a recent uptick, thanks to a lot of effort put into domestic cricket, has pushed him back to the top of the conversation.
Particularly with the BCCI’s new mandates on the importance of domestic cricket as a must-have for players even at the international level, Shami’s efforts across formats for Bengal led many to believe he might earn a well-deserved call back, with names such as Jasprit Bumrah being rested for the series beginning on January 11.
However, despite as many as five pace-bowling options being named by Ajit Agarkar and company, Shami didn’t make the cut – something which rankled the feathers of his coach with Bengal and someone who has seen Shami regain his form and rhythm at a solid level, Laxmi Ratan Shukla.
The Bengal coach said to RevSportz after Shami missed out: “The selection committee has done an injustice with Mohammed Shami. No international player has played domestic cricket with as much dedication as Shami in the recent past. Even after toiling hard in domestic, what the selection committee has done with Shami is shameful.”
Is BCCI moving on from Mohammed Shami?
Shami has butted heads with chief selector Ajit Agarkar over the last six months, growing increasingly frustrated as he was excluded from the international scheme of things. Despite then going on to knuckle down and let his bowling do the talking, he hasn’t earned a reward, unable to dislodge the players Gautam Gambhir has turned to in the interim.
Shami took 16 wickets in seven Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy matches for Bengal, and has followed that up with 11 wickets thus far in five Vijay Hazare Trophy matches in the fifty-over format. At 35 years old, Shami is certainly within veteran status, but retains the ability to be one of the most devastating wicket-takers in international cricket – his age might be the key reason Indian cricket has decided to move on.
However, Laxmi Ratan Shukla’s point about awarding domestic cricket remains a pertinent one, with the BCCI being criticised for not placing enough faith in players who tend to emerge from it thus far.
India begin their ODI series against the Kiwis in Vadodara, before a five-match T20I series leading up to next month’s T20 World Cup at home. Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, and Harshit Rana lead the seam options for this series, while Nitish Kumar Reddy is the all-round option.
