Shamik Chakrabarty
Ajit Agarkar, the chief selector, will pull the duvet up on India’s England-bound Test squad on Saturday. And apart from who will be the captain, a big call needs to be taken on Mohammed Shami. The selectors and head coach Gautam Gambhir can’t be blasé about, and summarily reject, someone who by dint of his quality and pedigree, is the second-most important bowler in India’s pace pack. There have been reports about selectors being concerned over the fast bowler’s fitness, his ability to bowl longer spells. But Shami’s captain in the Bengal Ranji Trophy side voiced his vote of confidence.
Anustup Majumdar, who led Bengal in the last Ranji Trophy season, recounted how Shami bowled an eight-over spell without trouble on his return to competitive cricket after a year-long injury hiatus. “Shami was accompanied by a physical trainer and a couple of physios (from the NCA), when he joined our squad for the game against Madhya Pradesh (last November),” Anustup said, speaking to RevSportz. “He was under constant supervision, and we had a discussion on managing his workload – how many overs he could bowl at a stretch followed by the period of rest. Shami, too, was part of the meeting. So, it was decided that he could bowl a four-five-over spell followed by an hour’s rest. We stuck to that in the first innings.”
Shami decided to push the envelope in the second and passed the test with flying colours. “The protocol was the same in the second innings,” said Anustup. “He (Shami) opened the bowling and dismissed Rajat Patidar. He bowled an eight or nine-over spell. The physios and the trainer were imploring me from outside to take him out of the attack. They were telling Shami to stop. But he told me he would continue. He waved to the support staff, signalling all was well. We won the game and he was perfectly all right. If he can do that in his first game after such a long lay-off, I don’t think Shami will have problems bowling longer spells in England, now that he has played a lot of cricket.”
The Indian bowling in the five-Test series in Australia was a one-man army. Jasprit Bumrah carried it on his back before it gave in at the SCG. All the while, Shami’s absence was felt. The team management, though, resisted the temptation to fly him in, as they were iffy about his full recovery. Shami was brought back to India’s white-ball fold earlier this year and he gradually built his workload before going to the Champions Trophy. At the ICC event, the 34-year-old bowled well within himself, taking nine wickets, including a five-for, in five matches at an average of 25.88.
Also Read India’s Squad For England Tour To Be Announced: Shubman Gill Tipped for Captaincy, Pant To Be Named Vice Captain
But he is not in his element in the ongoing IPL, taking only six wickets in nine matches and leaking runs (economy rate 11.23). SRH’s Rs 10-crore buy has been a letdown this term by his lofty standards, but in a recent interview on JioHotstar’s special series, Gen Gold, Shami cleared the air on his fitness, confirming that he has completed his recovery and is focusing solely on performance.
According to reports, the BCCI’s medical team is sceptical about whether Shami can bowl more than 10 overs a day. But the bowler himself remains confident and the selectors will have to decide. Dropping someone who has 229 wickets in 64 Tests at an average of 27.71 might backfire, especially in a series where Bumrah is unlikely to play all five matches. A rotation between the two premier fast bowlers could be a workable solution instead.