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Why has Mohammed Shami suddenly re-entered the national reckoning despite sections of the Indian team management showing little appetite for his comeback? Sources told CricBlogger that both head coach Gautam Gambhir and chief selector Ajit Agarkar had serious reservations about Shami’s chances of returning to the Indian team. The concern, sources said, was that the veteran pacer had lost the searing pace and zip that once made him such a formidable force, with questions also lingering over his fitness after his previous injury struggles.
For a bowler who once terrorised batsmen with his ability to generate relentless pace and seam movement, Shami’s diminished zip was seen as a major stumbling block. There was also an underlying concern that his fitness could once again become a stumbling block in his bid to reclaim a place in the national side.
But Shami appears to have thrown a spanner in the works.
After watching him bowl in the ongoing Duleep Trophy, the selectors are understood to have been impressed by what they saw. His recent outings have forced a rethink within the selection camp, with the possibility of handing the seasoned campaigner another shot at international cricket now firmly back on the table.
The dramatic turnaround means Shami, once seemingly cast out of India’s immediate plans, has suddenly found himself back in the national conversation.
Whether that translates into an actual India comeback remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: Shami is no longer being written off.
With East Zone captain Ishan Koshan too putting his weight behind Shami to make a comeback into the side along with his tenacity to keep fighting back for his place in the national team, Shami’s pending comeback is gong to be the next big thing in Indian cricket. Besides, retaining his pace and retaining the ability to take wickets at regular intervals, Shami is also able to bowl longer spells, which is keep him in good stead in Indian cricket.
