Aakash Chopra explains why pacer’s absence should not be handled harshly

Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra backed the BCCI’s decision to exclude Mohammed Shami from the remaining two Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The veteran pacer was expected to make his international comeback in the last two IND vs AUS Tests but was ruled out as he is still recovering from his injury. Chopra explained that one can’t “grudge” the fact that Shami wasn’t ready yet, adding that everyone had anticipated the pacer to be fine while expecting his return.

“Shami is not going”

In a video on his YouTube channel, Chopra noted that the NCA had finally provided an update on Shami’s status, pointing out that he was not going to Australia. He said that the NCA, which was constantly monitoring the pacer’s progress and workload management, was not convinced yet about his return and complete recovery.

“The verdict that has come from there is Mohammed Shami is not ready to become a part of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, and you can’t grudge that either. You and I read the scorecard. There he bowled and took wickets, so we assumed that he would be fine. However, it’s a Test match after 13 months,” Chopra said.

Latest news

Shami played his last international game in the ODI World Cup final against Australia in 2023. While he admitted to playing the entire tournament while carrying an injury, he went under the knife earlier this year. He made his return to competitive cricket in the Ranji Trophy for Bengal following which he played in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. However, the bowler was excluded from the squad for the first few matches of the Vijay Hazare Trophy.

In what was the final nail in the coffin, the NCA closed the doors on Shami’s hopes of making it to India’s XI for the Tests in Melbourne and Sydney by not giving him a clearance owing to injury flare-ups once again. India skipper Rohit Sharma had also addressed the issue and had said that it was on the NCA to decide when the pacer would make his return.