Cricketer turned commentator Aakash Chopra said that sending Mohammed Shami to Australia after playing just a single match is ‘a little too much to ask’ for. The ex-Indian international was talking on his YouTube channel.
Mohammed Shami has been out for a year from the playing fields due to a brutal injury. The cricketer was anticipated to join India vs Bangladesh and later the India vs New Zealand Test series but wasn’t able to due to the prolonged recovery period. BCCI’s decision to bring him in those series was to prepare him for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 against Australia. The BGT2024-25 is about to kick off in Australia, with the first match being played at Perth on November 22.
Shami’s unavailability against Bangladesh and New Zealand made BCCI announce an 18-member squad devoid of the 2023 ODI World Cup best bowler. But again, the twists and turns happened later on as India, who were the leaders in the WTC ratings going into the Kiwies Test series, were whitewashed by the visitors after showcasing a cathartic performance in all departments. This brought down the Rohit Sharma-led team to second in the WTC rating and put them in a vulnerable situation as they will have to now defeat Australia 4-0 to confirm the WTC final berth.
Too Early to Send Shami for BGT 2024-25, Says Aakash Chopra
As the match is in Australia and the pace is vital there, reports are emerging that Mohammad Shami may take a flight to Australia to play in the second Test in BGT 2024-25. The pacer recently played a Ranji Test match for Bengal and bagged 4 wickets. But Aakash Chopra believes that letting Shami fly to Australia after just a domestic test is a little too much to ask for.
“The Indian selectors are very keen to send Mohammed Shami to Australia alongside Rohit (Sharma). However, it’s also been heard that the Indian team wants him to play a little more cricket because one match in a year and suddenly the trip to Australia, straightaway a Test match, that can actually be a little too much to ask,” Chopra said.
Shami’s 4-wicket haul wasn’t enough to impress the critic, who claimed that the pacer looked a bit ‘undercooked’ in the Ranji.
“Mohammed Shami played one match. We couldn’t see much of his bowling because that match wasn’t getting streamed. We did see the wickets. I will say he is undercooked. You and I want Shami to be there because Bumrah, Shami, and Siraj—there is a different ring to it. Bumrah, Siraj, and Akash Deep/Prasidh Krishna—you see a little lack of experience there,” he continued.
“However, pushing Shami so quickly into Test cricket will be questionable because firstly he hasn’t played any cricket for one year. If you play a match after one year, and suddenly you say that he should be played a Test match, that won’t be fair,” Chopra added.
India Squad for Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25
Rohit Sharma (C), Ravindra Jadeja, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Dhruv Jurel (Wk), Virat Kohli, Prasidh Krishna, Mohammad Shami, Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant (Wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, KL Rahul, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Mohammed Siraj, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill, Washington Sundar.
To get the latest sports updates and highlights, check out The100Sports, and Follow us on Twitter
