Shamik Chakrabarty, Mumbai
Mohammed Shami should certainly be part of the Indian Test squad for the home series against South Africa, feels former chief selector MSK Prasad. This comes on the heels of the fast bowler taking 15 wickets in two matches for Bengal in the ongoing Ranji Trophy.
After running through Gujarat’s batting with a second-innings five-for at Eden Gardens on Tuesday, Shami told reporters that he has cricket left in him. Prasad concurs.
“He (Shami) should definitely be part of the Test squad against South Africa, and then take it forward from there,” Prasad told RevSportz. “He is playing first-class cricket, and given the number of overs he has bowled, it’s clear that he is fully fit. Also, he is part of the central contract system, which means that he is firmly in the Indian scheme of things.”
Over two matches, against Uttarakhand and Gujarat, Shami has bowled 67.2 overs without any discomfort. He looked to be in fine rhythm, with the seam going upright — a signature Shami stuff. He is on the wrong side of thirty, but only a few days ago, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli showed that cricket still remains a skill-based game where age is just a number.
Ajit Agarkar, the current chief selector, questioned Shami’s fitness after not picking him for the Test series against the West Indies followed by the seamer’s omission for the ongoing white-ball series in Australia.
Shami had come up with a rebuttal ahead of Bengal’s Ranji Trophy opener against Uttarakhand, saying: “I’m available to play for Bengal, which proves I’m fit. It’s not my job to constantly update the selection panel. If I’m playing, it should be clear enough.”
Agarkar reacted to it during the NDTV World Summit, as he said: “If he said that to me directly, I would have a conversation with him. My phone is always on for every player, and I have had several discussions with him in the past few months.”
The chief selector added: “If he was fit, he would have been on the plane (to England). Unfortunately, he wasn’t. Our domestic season has only just begun, so we will see how things develop.”
After his match-winning performance against Gujarat, Shami, however, had toned down his reaction. “My motivation is to stay fit and be available for the Indian team at all times. On the ground, I will continue to perform and the rest is on the selectors’ hands,” he said, adding in a light-hearted manner: “I’m always involved in some controversy, thanks to you guys (reporters). It’s a misunderstanding…”
Readers are allowed to read between the lines here, with the South Africa series approaching, where two Tests, three ODIs and five T20Is would be played. Shami hasn’t played for India since the Champions Trophy earlier this year. He isn’t part of the India A squads for the two multi-day matches against South Africa A. But Shami doesn’t need to play for India A to return to the Test fold. Across formats, he is still a massive upgrade on the likes of Harshit Rana and Prasidh Krishna.
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