Kolkata: In a Ranji Trophy match against Uttarakhand, India’s quick bowler Mohammed Shami has upset the cricketing world with a scintillating seven-wicket haul.
Shami has set the record straight by his lone hand, despite being labelled ‘unfit’ by the selection committee and left out of the Indian squad for the upcoming ODI series against Australia.
His fiery display has ignited the debate on and off the field and has literally proven all of his critics wrong.
In an edge-of-the-seat match, Shami, playing for Bengal, bowled almost 40 overs, taking three wickets in the first innings and four in the second. Bengal, under his relentless wicket-taking spree, cruised to a large eight-wicket win that also saw Shami bag the “Man of the Match’ award.
This eye-catching performance is only a day before the first India-Australia ODI on October 19 and thus raises the question of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) picking him so low that he has to be removed from the squad.
The quick bowler Shami was left out of the Australia tour due to fitness issues, and the chief selector, Ajit Agarkar, was vague and unclear when he addressed a press conference. Nevertheless, the 35-year-old pacer disapproves of the ‘unfit’ tag vehemently. “If I am not fit, then how come I am playing Ranji? If I am able to bowl in a four-day game, I am definitely capable of playing a 50-over match,” Shami spoke to the media with his face full of fight.
His long-awaited bowling performance, i.e., 14.5 overs in the first innings and 24.4 in the second, not only shows that he is in good shape but also has the same stamina and skill as ever. Shami has become a household name again through his extraordinary feat, and the conversation has shifted to asking: when will he be back in the Indian team? Besides, India’s high-profile tour of Australia is coming up.
Everybody who loves the game and follows it closely is deliberating over the question of the selection committee’s cleverness in disregarding Shami, and this decision has underlined once more how crucial his presence in Indian cricket was given the fight.
Shami’s staggering seven-wicket haul in the Ranji Trophy has captured the imaginations of the Indian cricket fans and stirred up the debate of his international comeback while the country is gearing up for the India versus Australia ODI series.