IND vs ENG, 5th T20I: Mohammed Shami’s fitness test highlights dead rubber in Mumbai
IND vs ENG, 5th T20I: Mohammed Shami’s fitness test highlights dead rubber in Mumbai
A series without real context. Sealed with a game to spare. Sounds like a familiar tale for Men in Blue, although the format has changed from shorter to the shortest with every passing year over the last decade, isn’t it?
Despite most of these boxes ticked, India’s last T20I game of the season at the Wankhede Stadium will be far from being a meaningless affair. After all, the game will be Mohammed Shami’s major litmus test in a bid to prove his fitness in time for the Champions Trophy, that starts in less than three weeks.
For most of the last 14 months, there has been a growing cloud over Shami’s return to top-flight cricket after the bowler aggravated his ankle injury during his dream run with the ball in the 2023 World Cup.
As a result, when he joined the squad for the first time since November 2023 ahead of the series-opener against England, it was a given that he will not feature in all five T20Is. In fact, the team management wanted to monitor his workload on a daily basis and pace him up for the Champions Trophy.
Having bowled in virtually each of the team’s training session in four venues, Shami donned the match jersey only in Rajkot. He looked good – although not at his best – during the three overs he bowled in the third T20I.
Having made way for Arshdeep Singh in Pune on Friday night, Shami will be eager to come out and take a major step towards match-fitness on the red-soil strip at the Wankhede Stadium. It was at the same venue during the World Cup semifinal that Shami had returned with his best figures in ODIs. More importantly, his 7/57 ensured a tense New Zealand chase didn’t end up in a thrilling heartbreak for a billion fans.
No wonder then that Morne Morkel, India’s bowling coach, was thrilled with having Shami around a relatively young group of pacers in the T20I squad. “Shami has been been bowling really well. Catching to him at the warm-ups, he is hitting the glove hard. So, very happy how he is coming along. He is probably going to get an opportunity for the next game and we will see see how things go,” Morkel said after Friday night’s match.
“Excited to have him back in the group, just for him to share his experience and his knowledge of training as a massive boost for this young bowling unit, so yeah, great to have show me back in the mix.”
It will be interesting to see whether Shivam Dube – who was substituted as a precautionary measure – will be retained at his home ground. The Sportstar understands that Dube had been cleared by doctors at the Pune stadium after checking him for a suspected concussion.
While India will be hoping to end the series on a high, England will be desperate to finish the series on a good note. Will captain Jos Buttler sign off with a trademark innings? Over to Wankhede.
