Mohammed Shami / Why are the selectors not in a hurry regarding Shami's return?

Mohammed Shami: The Indian bowler who is talked about the most from 22 October 2023 till today is Mohammed Shami. Shami had performed amazingly in the 2023 World Cup. He was the bowler who took the most wickets in the tournament. He had taken 24 wickets in 7 matches. Out of these, there were three matches when Mohammed Shami took 5 or more wickets. There was even more discussion about this because Mohammed Shami was not even a part of the playing-11 in the initial matches of the World Cup. That means he was not captain Rohit Sharma's first choice in the playing-11. He got this opportunity when Hardik Pandya got injured in the match against Bangladesh.

After this, on October 22, when Mohammed Shami played his first match in this World Cup against New Zealand, in the very first match he took 5 wickets for 54 runs. He was the player of the match in the very first match. After this, he continued to perform brilliantly till 19 November before the final. India had to face defeat against Australia in the final. After this, almost every player has returned to the field in different formats but Shami has still not returned to the field. The reason for this is his heel injury from which he is taking time to recover.

Shami will miss the test series

The Indian team is currently ready to play a 3-match T20 series against Afghanistan. But after this there is a big test for the Test team. The England team is coming to India to play a five-Test series. The first match of the Test series is to be played in the last week of this month. The latest update is that Mohammed Shami will not be a part of the team in the opening match of this series. Some of his close friends had also claimed a few days ago that Mohammed Shami played some World Cup matches due to injury. It is also possible that because of this, Mohammed Shami's pain may have increased a bit.

Shami is one of the experienced test bowlers of Team India. His pairing with Jasprit Bumrah has been the winning pair for Team India in the Test format. The series against England is also going to be very important for making it to the final of the World Test Championship for the third consecutive time. Apart from this, Shami's bowling records against England have also been impressive. Shami has taken 44 wickets in 15 matches in his Test career against England. In such a situation, the fans of the Indian cricket team are disappointed that they will 'miss' Mohammed Shami against England.

Why are the selectors not showing haste?

There is a big reason behind this. It is said that even the burnt buttermilk of milk is consumed with gusto. The selectors have seen the effect of haste in Jasprit Bumrah's return. Last year, Jasprit Bumrah was declared fit in the middle of a series and given a place in the team. But then Bumrah was out of the team even before taking the field. Because of this, serious questions were raised on the selection committee and the National Cricket Academy. Which was difficult to answer. Later, a clear message was given to the selection committee by the team management that they should select Bumrah only when he is 100 percent fit.

After this Bumrah was given full time. Bumrah returned to the field in a T20 series against Ireland. After this he also played in the Asia Cup. He also bowled brilliantly in the 2023 World Cup. Apart from this, his strong performance was also seen in the recently concluded series in South Africa. Thanks to his tremendous bowling along with Mohammed Siraj, India defeated the host team in the Cape Town Test. Jasprit Bumrah took 12 wickets in the series. It is important to mention that the Indian team won for the first time in the history of Test cricket in Cape Town.

Team India is at ease due to two more reasons

The selectors of Team India are relaxed for two more reasons. Actually, five test matches are to be played in the series against England. It is already decided that under 'workload management' no fast bowler will play all five test matches. He will be given rest in between. This means that even if Shami was fit, he would not have been played in all the matches. In such a situation, even if he misses his first two matches, he can play the remaining three matches after his return. Jasprit Bumrah has been rested for the T20 series against Afghanistan. This means that he will enter the field fresh for the initial matches against England.

Apart from this, there is another big reason due to which there is no panic regarding Shami's injury. The responsibility of winning on Indian pitches will be more on the spin department of the Indian team than on the fast bowlers. The English team will be tested in India on the traditional 'turning track'. In the day's 90 overs game, there will be a limited number of overs in the fast bowlers' quota. Whereas spin bowlers will work harder. Rohit Sharma's statement after the victory in Cape Town was a big message for world cricket. Rohit had said after the Cape Town Test that he has no problem with bouncy balls, but then in India, people should not cry if the ball 'turns' from the first day. Overall, it is a matter of relief for Indian cricket fans that we are in a position to give full time to Mohammed Shami to get fit.