India defeated England by 7 wickets, and star pacer Mohammed Shami was left out of the starting lineup for the first T20I at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on January 22 (Wednesday). It was anticipated that Shami, who last played for India in November 2023, will rejoin the squad after a 14-month absence. However, his absence from the series opener stoked questions over whether the BCCI selectors are satisfied with his level of fitness. veteran spinner Piyush Chawla supported the decision to bench Shami for the match.
Piyush Chawla on Shami
Given that Shami is still limping a little when bowling, Chawla believes the team management made the right decision in not taking him on. He said getting Shami fully fit for the Champions Trophy is the ultimate goal.
"If you see the run-up, he is still limping a bit. The main target should be Champions Trophy, and getting fit for that. Lots of matches in this series, even if he misses a few games, that is okay," Piyush Chawla was quoted by NDTV.
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Arshdeep rubbishes fresh injury concerns around Shami
Star pacer Arshdeep Singh told fans that there was no reason to be concerned about the veteran bowler Mohammed Shami's fitness. Arshdeep praised the 33-year-old Shami and compared his bowling to that of his younger self, dismissing any new injury worries.
"Just yesterday, I was talking about the same thing with Shami Bhai because when he was bowling, the way the ball was coming out of his hand was absolutely amazing. With every delivery, you would say, 'Wow, how can such an incredible ball come out of someone's hand like this!' Just wait for a few more days, and you'll get to see that bowling, and you’ll enjoy it a lot. The way the ball is coming out of his hand makes it look like the 22-year-old Shami Bhai is bowling again," Arshdeep Singh said in the post-match interview with JioCinema.
Before the first T20I, Shami was spotted bowling at the side nets, aiming for the stumps. However, Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav stated that Shami's comeback will be postponed during the toss. Shami has bowled at full throttle in every practice session for India, even though he had a lot of strapping on his left knee.