At the age of 34, India pacer Mohammed Shami has seen his career plagued by repeated injuries, which have threatened to cut short his career. Shami was not selected for India’s five-match Test series of England due to fitness concerns. New reports have now emerged, stating that Shami was even consulted by the BCCI selection committee, headed by Ajit Agarkar, before the squad to England was picked. However, the pacer himself was not confident about his fitness. The report also states that the selectors are keen on looking at younger fast bowlers, and that Shami’s potential India comeback rests on one or two key factors.
“First of all, he wasn’t dropped because of form. Fitness issues are the only reason why he couldn’t travel to England,” said a BCCI insider, as per a report in The Telegraph.
Shami had also not featured in India’s five-match series of Australia, but it was the doubt in his own mind regarding fitness that saw him left out of the squad to England.
“After missing the last tour of Australia, his presence was pretty much needed for the England series. The selectors had also spoken to him before finalising the squad, but he didn’t sound too confident. That much-needed assurance from him was missing,” the insider added, as per the report.
“One also needs to know if Shami himself is keen on making a comeback in the longest format,” the insider said.
While Shami is not completely out of the picture for selection, his India future depends heavily on his form and fitness in the Duleep Trophy, beginning on August 28. Shami is expected to be part of the East Zone side.
“What we need to see is whether he’ll play even if East Zone clear the quarter-final stage and continue to make progress. Will his body permit, given his dodgy knee and hamstring? “In the Ranji game, he used to bowl three-four overs in a spell and go off the ground. So, whether his body can take the rigours of a multi-day game goes on and on to be a tricky question,” said the BCCI insider.
In the mean time, the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee are reportedly looking at younger options. In the series against England, Akash Deep and Prasidh Krishna showed their mettle. Harshit Rana and Anshul Kamboj have been handed Test debuts in recent months, while Arshdeep Singh has also been part of the setup.
“Age is not on Shami’s side. The preference, thus, will be someone who still has seven-eight years of cricket left in him rather than an individual who’ll be turning 35 soon,” the insider said.
