"There won't be any benefit if India plays Shami from the 4th Test" - Ex-Pakistan player wants India to fast track pacer for BGT 2024-25 3rd Test
Former Pakistan player Basit Ali reckons Mohammed Shami should join Team India immediately for the third Test in Brisbane, which starts on Saturday, December 14. Ali said there would be no benefit if Shami played only the last two Tests since Australia won the second Test and leveled the five-game series 1-1.
Shami didn’t make it to the India squad for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy as the National Cricket Academy (NCA) didn't give a green signal on his fitness. The Bengal speedster recently returned to competitive cricket in the Ranji Trophy after 360 days, picking up seven wickets against Madhya Pradesh.
Basit Ali said on his YouTube channel (via The Times of India):
"We are getting news that Shami will be going but might play from the fourth Test. There won't be any benefit if India plays Shami from the fourth Test. Send him now and play him the Brisbane Test. If you are calling him for Melbourne, then don't call him at all. India need Shami now! Your pace attack needs Shami."
Notably, the 34-year-old has bagged 31 wickets in eight Tests Down Under.
"There are some professionals monitoring" - Rohit Sharma shares update on Mohammed Shami
India captain Rohit Sharma said that Mohammed Shami is being monitored by professionals, with his participation in the series dependent on that. He said in the post-match press conference (via ESPNcricinfo):
"We want to be more than 100% sure with him because it has been a long time. We don't want to put pressure on him to come here and do the job for the team. There are some professionals monitoring, we will take a call based on what those guys feel. They are the ones watching him every game, how he pulls up after the game, after bowling four overs, standing for 20 overs. But the door is open for him to come and play anytime."
"We are just monitoring him because while playing Syed Mushtaq Ali, he got some swelling in his knee, which hampers his preparation to come and play a Test match. We want to be very careful, we don't want to bring him here, he pulls up sore or something happens," he added.
Mohammed Shami is representing Bengal in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He recently bagged three wickets each against Hyderabad and Rajasthan.