Mohammed Shami could be rested for India’s group league game against New Zealand on March 2, RevSportz understands. To make it clear, the fast bowler is not injured. It’s about his workload management, which the team management did during the home white-ball series against England that preceded the ongoing Champions Trophy. It’s not final, but resting Shami and replacing him with Arshdeep Singh is an option that the think-tank is mulling.
The helmet-catching drill is a relatively new addition in India’s training. One of the team members uses a tennis ball and hits it high in the air. Another one wearing a helmet allows it to land it on his head (it’s a tennis ball and concussion fears can be kept at arm’s length), while the players around him are instructed to take one-handed catches. This is a reflex-sharpening exercise, but Shami wasn’t part of it. He was having a lengthy conversation with chief selector Ajit Agarkar instead. A little later, batting coach Sitanshu Kotak also joined.
Any fears of an injury was allayed by the fact that Shami bowled at the nets. He made one rear off a length and beat Rishabh Pant on the pull. Another delivery squared the southpaw up completely. A brief chat with bowling coach Morne Morkel ensued, who looked impressed with Shami’s seam position. The latter can sort of do that blindfolded, he is so good at it. As for Morkel, he had to leave the team due to a family emergency. Now, he has rejoined.
After taking a couple of days off, it was a full training session for India here at the ICC Academy ground. Only Shubman Gill was absent.
Coming back to Shami, he started the Champions Trophy with a five-for against Bangladesh. At the same time, he has returned to the India fold after an elongated injury lay-off, and as Gautam Gambhir had said at the post-match presser in Ahmedabad, after India’s 3-0 clean-sweep of England in the ODI series, it was important to manage the veteran seamer’s workload. In the game against Pakistan, Shami had to leave the field for a while after his ankle and calf were tended to by the team physio. The 34-year-old returned to bowl eight overs. At the end of the match, Shreyas Iyer told reporters that Shami had no fitness issues.
India have already qualified for the semi-finals and there’s only a day’s gap between their final group league game and the knockout fixture. In Jasprit Bumrah’s absence, Shami is the leader of India’s pace attack. He will be handled with care.