Shubman Gill opened up on Mohammed Shami’s prolonged absence from Test and international cricket. Shami, the leading wicket-taker in the 2023 ODI World Cup with 24 wickets from seven games, has struggled to make a comeback since due to injuries.
He featured in the ODI series against England and the subsequent Champions Trophy earlier this year, taking 11 wickets from seven matches, including a five-wicket haul against Bangladesh in Dubai. However, despite strong performances in domestic cricket, he hasn’t returned to the Indian side since.
Shami was also left out of India’s two-match Test series against South Africa. Gill said there are very few bowlers of Shami’s quality, though the performances of Prasidh Krishna and Akash Deep can’t be ignored. He added that the selectors are in a better position to decide on Shami’s comeback when India next play a Test series.
“There aren’t many bowlers of Shami bhai’s quality. But we can’t ignore performances from players like Akash Deep and Prasidh. Bumrah and Siraj are also doing well, as we’ve seen. We also have an eye on where we’re playing our next Test series — the selectors would be better placed to answer that,” Gill said in the press conference before the Kolkata Test.
SOUTH AFRICA A GOOD TEAM
Gill also said that beating South Africa won’t be easy as they are the reigning world champions having won the title earlier this year with their win over Australia at the Lord’s Cricket Ground.
“I think these two Test matches are very important for our chances of qualifying for the WTC final. South Africa are a very good team — they’re champions. When difficult moments came, we handled them well. The pitch is good, a typical Indian wicket,” Gill said.
India have played seven Test series against South Africa at home, losing only once—25 years ago, when the Proteas won 2-0. India currently sit third in the WTC standings with 52 points and a points percentage of 61.90.
