The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) didn’t handle Mohammed Shami’s injury properly, and the speedster hasn’t played international cricket for more than a year. His last game for India was in the 2023 ODI World Cup, and since then, he went under the knife, followed by a long rehabilitation process. He returned to competitive cricket with the Ranji Trophy and also played in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy for Bengal.
India captain Rohit Sharma was asked about Shami’s availability several times during the tour of Australia and he revealed that the pacer was down with a swollen knee.
The BCCI ended its silence and said that Shami was not deemed fit for Test cricket and he would take time to return to the red-ball team.
Former Indian cricketer Ravi Shastri expressed unhappiness with the lack of clarity around Shami’s progress. He mentioned that he had taken Shami to Australia and kept him with the squad during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Australia defeated India by 3-1.
“I am surprised by the lack of communication, and there is no information available on his comeback to international cricket. He has been at NCA for a long time, but there is no official report on his recovery. I would have taken him to Australia, and the pacer would have done his rehabilitation Down Under. If he was ready after the third Test, he would have played in the last two Tests,” Ravi Shastri told ICC.
“I would have kept the best physios around him and given him every chance to return to the Playing XI. I would have kept him in the mix.”