T20I series: Shami may have to wait a bit for big-stage comeback

The return of Mohammed Shami, India’s senior pace ace, after a long lay-off was supposed to be one of the biggest sub-plots of the ongoing T20I series against England. However, as the Men in Blue look to go for the kill in the third fixture at Rajkot on Tuesday, there are now doubts as to whether he will be seen in action in this format.

The ‘will he, won’t he’ around Shami was at fever pitch ahead of the opening game at Kolkata's Eden Gardens last week as it was an opportunity to see him in action before his ‘home’ crowd, given the UP-born cricketer began his domestic career with Bengal. However, the smokescreen around him stayed put as the hosts went in with one genuine pacer in Arshdeep Singh, with Hardik Pandya sharing the new ball.

Spin was the calling card for India in both Kolkata and Chennai, and the second game saw four specialist spinners: vice-captain Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakravarthy, and Ravi Bishnoi in operation with part-timer Avishek Sharma getting in one over. A trend that is likely to continue in the remaining games as well barring a change of plan, a tactical ploy that allows the Indian team management some more time before unleashing Shami in the three-match ODI series to follow.

The first of the 50-over games against England is on 6 February and if Shami gets a look-in in the playing XI there, it can still give him three matches before he runs in against Bangladesh in the Champions Trophy opener in Dubai on 20 February. The reason why the highest wicket taker in the last 50-over World Cup (27 from seven matches) is being handled with kidgloves is the uncertainty over the availability of India’s pace warhead Jasprit Bumrah for the marquee ICC event in the UAE.

Truth be told, for all the talk of depth of pool in India’s pace attack, they can ill afford to go into a major ODI tournament without either Bumrah or Shami. A report in the Times of India quotes sources in the team as follows: ‘’Shami has shed 2 kg from what he gained before his injury. He is bowling at full tilt. He is not needed as much in the T20 matches. But he should be good to go once the ODIs come around.’’

A look at Shami at the Eden nets found him with both knees heavily strapped as he ran in with gusto and got some to seam off the wicket, though there could still be a nagging question mark about him putting in 10 overs in an ODI. This is where the wisdom of fielding him in at least one or two of the remaining T20Is come in, but with the team already up 2-0, the final call rests with the captain-coach duo of Suryakumar Yadav and Gautam Gambhir, and of course team physio Nitin Patel.

‘’It’s not a petrol engine but a diesel engine. He is an ageing fast bowler and will need some time to get into rhythm,’’ former player and now pundit Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube channel. A bit of plain-speaking, but the former Test opener was on the money about the need for Shami to get in a few overs against international batters like Jos Buttler & Co.

The desperation on Shami’s part to be back on the big stage is there for all to see. At a felicitation by the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) before the first T20I, Shami said: ‘’If you have that hunger (to represent the country), you will always fight back, no matter how many times you get injured. No matter how many matches I play, it always feels less. Because once I leave cricket, I may never get his chance again.’’

Point taken, but the hosts need him badly in the Champions Trophy and then the five-match Test series in England in June-July. And they are not willing to take a chance!

 Catch the match

 India vs England, 28 January, Tuesday

 3rd T20 International at Rajkot

 Starts: 7.00 pm IST