Since making his debut in 2013, Mohammed Shami has been one of the greatest assets for Indian cricket. The Bengali pacer has performed admirably in all three formats and has saved face for India when things have been difficult. Shami was without a doubt the finest player on the team in the ODI World Cup 2023, even though Virat Kohli may have stolen the show. In the semifinal match against New Zealand, he demonstrated his mettle by taking seven wickets, and it was he who gave India their first breakthrough in the devastating final defeat to Australia.
Shami and the Indian management don’t have an easy time of it, either, as he has been hurt ever since and turns 34 next month. In his absence, Mohammed Siraj has assumed his position. While Arshdeep Singh is now participating in One-Day Internationals, a number of pacers, including Avesh Khan, Harshit Rana, and Mukesh Kumar, are standing by.
How he recovers from his injury remains to be seen. Will he give up on one or two formats to concentrate on giving the others his all? According to Paras Mhambrey, the former bowling coach for India, that is all his fault. Because of their close collaboration from November 2021 to June 29, 2024, Mhambrey believes that Shami “needs to decide and have that real honest conversation”
Regarding Shami’s prospects under India’s new head coach Gautam Gambhir, he stated in an interview with News18 CricketNext that “you have to give him that choice, talk to him.” You know what you want, right? What is it? Where do you look and what is your plan? It goes without saying that your doctors should be there as well as your fitness and strength and conditioning (S&C) personnel and trainers.
Shami only has three to four years left.
Mhambrey continued, saying that Gautam Gambhir and the coaches in place now need to find out from him how long he is willing to play and in what format. The management may like to save him for Test cricket, since it is what the top players need. It is already anticipated that he would play against Australia and New Zealand later in the year, as well as in the Bangladesh Test series beginning on September 19.
What are you looking at? In what format would you like to play it? Why would you like to play red (Test) if you wish to play? You want to be completely honest in your interaction and say things like, “Okay, you’re looking at maybe two, three, four years,” etc. Have that talk about, “Okay, so here are the games we have, and this is the amount of bowling you have to do,” with the white and red balls. You must grant him the freedom to choose, Mhambrey continued.