Star Indian pacer Mohammed Shami, who picked up seven wickets in his first competitive match after 360 days, is all set to travel to Australia to take part in the upcoming five-match Test series between India and Australia. According to reports, Mohammed Shami will travel to Australia with Indian captain Rohit Sharma in the coming days.
The 34-year-old Mohammed Shami was not included in India’s 18-member squad for the 2024-25 edition of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which is set to start on November 22 in Perth. But as per the latest information, Mohammed Shami, who proved his fitness in the Ranji Trophy 2024-25 Elite Group C match for Bengal against Madhya Pradesh in Indore by bowling more than 40 overs, will be fast-tracked into India’s Test squad.
Mohammed Shami makes a strong case for his inclusion in the Test squad
Mohammed Shami, who picked up 24 wickets in seven matches of the ODI World Cup 2023, hasn’t played any match for the Men in Blue since the final against Australia. There were concerns over his fitness, which is why he was not named in India’s Test squad. But now, after he made a successful comeback and brushed aside any doubts related to his fitness and injury, Mohammad Shami is set to play for India again.
Mohammed Shami was not at his best with the ball in the second-innings but the India pacer still powered Bengal to a thrilling 11-run win over Madhya Pradesh at the Holkar Stadium in Indore on Saturday. Besides his bowling exploits of 7/156 in the match, Mohammed Shami also registered his highest First-Class score for Bengal, knocking a quickfire 36-ball 37 in the second innings.
Mohammed Shami’s inclusion in the team will add strength to India’s bowling attack, which is led by Jasprit Bumrah. Apart from Bumrah, Mohammad Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, and Harshit Rana are part of India’s pace attack for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
While Bumrah and Siraj have played for India in Australia before, Akash Deep has only played five Tests for India since making his debut in February 2024, and Krishna has represented India only two times in the five-day format of the game. On the other hand, Delhi-based pacer Harshit is yet to make his international debut for India. He has travelled with India’s ODI and T20I teams in the past but didn’t get a chance to play any matches.
Former India captain Sourav Ganguly wants pacer Mohammed Shami to be on the next flight to Australia after the speedster has made a promising comeback to the competitive cricket in the Ranji Trophy.
Former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly stresses on importance of having speedster Mohammed Shami in the squad ahead of BGT 2024-25
Former India captain Sourav Ganguly believes Mohammed Shami should be on the next flight to Australia even if he misses the first of the five-Test series Down Under. Ganguly reckons that Shami doesn’t need to play in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament before his national comeback.
The reaction comes after Shami picked up seven wickets while representing Bengal against Madhya Pradesh in the ongoing Ranji Trophy. He was equally handy with the bat, scoring 37 runs in the second innings.
This was Shami’s first competitive game after a 360-day gap following the 2023 ODI World Cup. The speedster returned to action following his ankle surgery after almost one-year-long hiatus.
Ganguly told Revsportz (via India Today):
“Yeah, I will send him to Australia. He doesn’t need to play the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. I’ll send him to Australia, even if he misses the Perth Test I will send him to Australia, even if he misses the Perth Test.”
“He keeps bowling, he should be on the flight, he has bowled today as well. He should be on the next flight to Australia,” he added.
Notably, Mohammad Shami has picked up 31 wickets in seven Tests, including two five-wicket hauls, in Australia. Overall, the 34-year-old has 229 wickets in 64 Tests. He was included in India squad for the five-match series but favorites to be added to the side.
Sourav Ganguly further picked Prasidh Krishna over Akash Deep in his playing XI for the Perth Test due to the height factor. He said during the same interaction:
“He (Shami) may miss the Perth Test, but that will be bowling friendly conditions. I think Prasidh will play ahead of Akash Deep, because of the height and conditions. So, Shami should be on the flight and should be ready to play the Adelaide Test.”
Lanky pacer Prasidh Krishna picked up 10 wickets for India A in the two unofficial Tests against Australia A. He has picked up just two wickets in as many senior Tests. Meanwhile, Akash Deep will play his first Test series Down Under. The 27-year-old has 10 wickets in five Tests.
The first Test between Australia and India begins on November 22 at Perth’s Optus Stadium. The series will include a pink-ball Test in Adelaide, followed by matches in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney.