IND vs AUS: Aakash Chopra Cautions Against Rushing Mohammed Shami into Border-Gavaskar Trophy

In a significant boost for the Indian cricket team, Mohammed Shami returned to competitive cricket by playing in the Ranji Trophy match between Bengal and Madhya Pradesh at the Holkar Cricket Stadium. This marks Shami’s comeback after his time away from the game, providing optimism for his future performances. 

Mohammed Shami performed well in the match and showed no signs of fitness problems despite bowling close to 44 overs in both innings. In the first innings, he bowled 19 overs, took 4 wickets and gave away 54 runs. In the second innings, he bowled 24.2 overs, claimed 3 wickets and conceded 102 runs.

Mohammed Shami had been sidelined for almost a year due to an Achilles tendon injury, which required surgery. He was recovering well before the home test series against Bangladesh and New Zealand, but a knee setback delayed his return. As a result, the BCCI selection committee did not include him in the Border Gavaskar Trophy squad.

Aakash Chopra commented on the inclusion of Mohammed Shami in the upcoming Border Gavaskar Trophy, saying: 

“Mohammed Shami has played a match (Ranji). We weren’t able to see much of his bowling as it was not being streamed. We did see the wickets he took. I’d say he is undercooked. Honestly, we want Shami to be there (in Australia) because Bumrah, Shami, Siraj — there’s a different ring to it. In the Bumrah, Siraj, and Akash Deep combination, we can see a bit of weakness. Lack of experience can be felt.”