Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra reckons the selectors and the team management will be asking too much from Mohammed Shami if the gun fast bowler is sent to Australia for the Border-Gavaskar series after playing only one competitive match.
Shami returned to professional cricket after 360 days when he featured for Bengal in the Ranji Trophy clash against Madhya Pradesh. The fast bowler returned with impressive figures of 4-54 in the first innings and then registered 3-102 in the second essay to help Bengal claim a thrilling 11-run win.
The ace pacer had picked 16 wickets in four Test matches on the tour of 2018-19 to Australia when India won for the first time on Australian soil.
Shami has bagged 44 wickets in 12 Test matches against Australia at an average of 32.09.
The gun-fast bowler is known for his upright seam position and he could be lethal in the Australian conditions, if he is fully prepared.
“The Indian selectors are very keen to send Mohammed Shami to Australia alongside Rohit (Sharma). However, it’s also been heard that the Indian team wants him to play a little more cricket because one match in a year and suddenly the trip to Australia, straightaway a Test match, that can actually be a little too much to ask,” Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube Channel.
“Mohammed Shami played one match. We couldn’t see much of his bowling because that match wasn’t getting streamed. We did see the wickets. I will say he is undercooked. You and I want Shami to be there because Bumrah, Shami and Siraj – there is a different ring to it. Bumrah, Siraj and Akash Deep/Prasidh Krishna – you see a little lack of experience there,” he observed.
Chopra noted that it won’t be easy for Shami to hit the ground running in the Australian conditions as he hasn’t played consistently at the elite level.
“However, pushing Shami so quickly into Test cricket will be questionable because firstly he hasn’t played any cricket for one year. If you play a match after one year, and suddenly you say that he should be played a Test match, that won’t be fair,” Chopra stated.
The renowned commentator wants Shami to play more before he is considered to play for India in the Border-Gavaskar trophy.
“If there is a breakdown in the middle of the match or your form looks very bad, then you suddenly ask why so much desperation. So you want him to play a little more. Secondly, if you ask any fast bowler, they say the Australian grounds are very soft, they are sand-based grounds, so there is a lot of pressure on the back, hamstrings, knees and ankles,” he explained.
“In such a scenario, if you are even slightly undercooked, there are chances of getting injured again. So I will say take a little time. Let Shami play a little more. We want him to quickly play for India again but if you are too hasty, at times the gap becomes longer. So stay with whoever is there,” Chopra elaborated.
The opening Test match between India and Australia will be played at Perth from November 22 onwards.
