Subhayan Chakraborty in Dubai
It’s all but over for Mohammed Shami as far as his international career is concerned. One of the great servants of Indian cricket, the fast bowler is no longer in the scheme of things of the selectors and the team management. Shami’s career deserved to saunter into a golden sunset. Sport, however, doesn’t follow the script of a Manmohan Desai film.
Shami is still an active cricketer. He played the Duleep Trophy and will turn up for Bengal in the Ranji Trophy. But on the wrong side of thirty, he is unlikely to make a comeback to the Test team.
Chief selector Ajit Agarkar cited his lack of playing time in red-ball cricket, as he explained the veteran seamer’s absence. “He was out for a long time. When will he be back? I don’t have an update. In the last two-three years, I think he has played one match for Bengal. As a performer, we know what he can do. But he will need to play some cricket,” Agarkar said at the West Indies series team selection press conference in Dubai on Thursday.
Shami underwent an ankle surgery after the 2023 World Cup and was out of the game for a long time. Upon his return, he has featured in white-ball internationals. But Test cricket is a lot more demanding on a player’s body.
RevSportz broke the story on the day of the India A selection for the muti-day fixtures against Australia A that Karun Nair wouldn’t be part of the squad for the home Tests. He wasted his chances in England and the selectors have now decided to move on.
Karun made a highly-anticipated return to the Test team after over 3,000 days in the recent England tour. However, his performance fell short of expectations, as he managed only 205 runs across four Tests, averaging 25.62 with a solitary fifty. The 33-year-old batted at No. 3 and 6 during the series but struggled to make a significant impact. “Frankly, we expected a little bit more from Karun. He played four Tests, and you spoke about one innings. That’s the way it is,” Agarkar was forthright.
Devdutt Padikkal is Karun’s replacement in the squad, and on his selection, the chief selector said: “We feel Padikkal offers a little bit more at this point. Wish we could give everyone 15-20 Tests. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way.”
Agarkar explained that Ishan Kishan’s fitness issues prevented him from being in the reckoning for the Test side against the West Indies. “Ishan will have to play a bit more cricket and show some performances,” said Agarkar.
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