Ravi Shastri, Former Indian cricketer and head coach mentioned about Mohammed Shami, he called him an absolutely crucial player for Team India and lauded him for his match winning qualities.
Mohammed Shami: A Key Player For Team India
Mohammed Shami was the lone talking point on Day 5 of Kanpur Test between India and Bangladesh. Even though pacer Shami isn't playing, Ravi Shastri, mentioned that every individual in the team understands just how much he matters. Since his ankle injury, Shami has been out of action which made him miss out on IPL 2024 and now even the T20 World Cup-leader of wicket-taker in ODI World Cup. However, he is due to enter the final stages of his rehabilitation and should be fit enough for India's Test series against New Zealand. Shastri feels Shami is a match-winner in terms of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. For Rohit Sharma, Mohammed Shami brings very valuable experience in bowling in Australia. he is a big asset.
"Very few have a seam presentation like him in world cricket and he has bowled over a long period of time. Let's hope from India's point of view that is back to full fitness because he still has a role to play. We saw how good he was in the World Cup; he bowled quite magnificently albeit with the white ball. When it reverses, on a track like this he would have been ideal. He has played a lot of cricket; he knows these conditions. And he's a skidder, at you all the time. A genuine wicket-taker," Shastri said while doing commentary on Day 5 of the Test match.
As India is inching towards a dominating victory in Kanpur, where the ball is reversing quite a bit, Shastri noted Shami could have put in a good fight for the opposition. Being from Amroha, Shami would have probably played many matches at the Green Park Stadium when he was just starting off with cricketing. Looking forward to Shami's possible return to Test cricket, Shastri hopes his rehabilitation has been flawless and on schedule.