Shami hasn't been named in the Test and ODI squads for the West Indies tour.
For the series, the BCCI selection committee on Friday (June 23) announced a 16-member squad and veteran pacer Mohammad Shami’s absence from it raised a few eyebrows.
While the selectors didn’t give any clarification on Shami’s non-selection, a report published in The Indian Express claims that the fast bowler had asked for a ‘complete rest’ from the West Indies tour.
Notably, the right-arm quick hasn’t been picked for a three-match ODI series that follows the Tests.
According to the report, Shami asked the team management for a break after the World Test Championship final and his request was approved.
With the fast-approaching Asia Cup 2023 and the ODI World Cup, it seems that Shami wants to give himself adequate time to regain strength and rejuvenate to avoid ill-timed fitness concerns.
India are already dealing with fitness issues, with the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer currently under rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore after going through major surgeries.
India’s tour of West Indies is slated to get underway on July 12 with the Test series. The tour will culminate with the five-match T20I series on August 13.
India’s Test squad for West Indies tour: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Virat Kohli, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ajinkya Rahane (vc), KS Bharat (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Akshar Patel, Mohammed Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Jaydev Unadkat, Navdeep Saini.
India’s ODI squad for West Indies tour: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Virat Kohli, Surya Kumar Yadav, Sanju Samson (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Hardik Pandya (vc), Shardul Thakur, R Jadeja, Akshar Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Jaydev Unadkat, Mohammed Siraj, Umran Malik, Mukesh Kumar.