Legendary fast bowler Andy Roberts who was part of the menacing quartet of West Indies golden era wants Mohammed Shami to join the Indian squad before the third Test of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. Roberts pointed out that Shami may not get wickets like pace bowling spearhead Jasprit Bumrah but his control is the same as him. He also said that he is better than Mohammed Siraj by far.
“Shami has been India’s best bowler for a while. He may not get the amount of wickets Jasprit Bumrah gets, but he’s the full package and is more consistent than the rest. Shami swings the ball, Shami seams the ball and Shami’s control is as good as Bumrah’s. Shami should play. Mohammed Siraj is nowhere near Shami," Roberts told Mid-day.
Rohit on Shami's return
Shami is currently playing for Bengal the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2024. After the 10-wicket defeat within seven session in Adelaide, skipper Rohit Sharma was asked about whether Shami will join the squad in Australia. Rohit said that he wants Shami to be 100 per cent fit before he gets back to international cricket.
"That door is very much open. But we are just monitoring him. Because while playing Syed Mushtaq Ali, he again got some swelling in his knee. Which obviously hampers his preparation to come and play a Test match. We want to be very, very careful," Rohit said in the post-match press conference on December 8.
"We don't want to bring him here in a situation and he plays and then he pulls up sore or something happens. We want to be more than 100% sure with him. Because it's been such a long time that he has not played cricket. And to be fair to him, we don't want to put pressure on him to come here and do the job for the team. So, there are some professionals who are monitoring him," he added.
Roberts disappointed by captain Rohit's decisions
Roberts also criticised captain Rohit's move to bat first after winning the toss. The 73-year-old wanted Rohit to back his bowlers and dismiss Australia cheaply. He reminded the Indian captain that he is not playing on Indian pitches and questioned playing a spinner in pacer-friendly conditions.
"Why did you guys [India] bat first? India's fast bowlers bowled Australia out cheaply in both innings (104 and 238) at Perth. If my fast bowlers outbowl the opposition pacers in the previous Test, I'm not going to give the rivals the first preference in the next Test. Remember, you are not playing on Indian pitches. These have bounce, and you are playing only one spinner; the ball hardly turns. Plus, you didn't put enough runs on the board," Roberts opined.
Rohit was short of runs as well in the pink-ball Test. He registered single-digit score in both innings as his lean patch carried forward to Australia as well.