Ravi Shastri and Ricky Ponting have questioned the decision not to fly Mohammad Shami over for the BGT 2024 series, believing the fast bowler would have improved the tourists' chances in Australia.
Despite not having played international cricket since the 2023 Cricket World Cup Final due to an ankle injury that required surgery in early 2024, Shami appeared in domestic red-ball cricket before the Test series began, raising hopes of making an impact in Australia at some point.
He was formally ruled out of contention before the fourth Test in Melbourne, with the BCCI medical staff citing recurrent knee swelling. Still, both Ponting and Shastri believe a journey to Australia and a late-series return might have been pushed.
“Absolutely, there's no question about that. I was very surprised by the communication going on in the media as to what exactly happened to Mohammad Shami.
Where is he when it comes to recovery? He's been sitting in the NCA for I don't know how long. Why can't proper communication come out on where he stands? A player of his ability, I would have brought him to Australia,” Shastri said on the ICC Review show.
Instead of making a late call on the quick from afar, Shastri believes that having him on tour with the group would have been better for India's prospects.
“I would have kept him part of the team and made sure that his rehabilitation was done with the team. And then if we thought by the third Test match that no, this guy can't play the rest of the series, I would let him go.
But I would have brought him with the team, kept him, monitored him with the best of the physios and best of the advice even from international physios who are in Australia, and seen how he went. But I would have kept him in the mix,” Shastri stated.
Ricky Ponting also agreed with Shastri’s assessment and emphasized how important Mohammad Shami could have been for India at the back end of the series.
“I was really surprised when he wasn't flown out even halfway through the series, two Test matches in. India's make-up obviously had Nitish Reddy there. So, you had another seam-bowling all-rounder anyway.
So, if Shami, even if he wasn't fully fit, if he had to bowl fewer overs in a day, you had a backup seam bowling option to help him out and I think he could have been the difference. When you asked me (in an earlier The ICC Review) at the start about what I thought the result would be, I said 3-1 Australia because Shami wasn't there. That was the first thing I said. That's how important I felt he was to India.
If Shami, Bumrah, and Siraj were in their starting team, I think things could have been completely different here in Australia,” Ponting said on the ICC Review show.
Looking at his potential influence, Shastri believes the fast bowler may have helped Jasprit Bumrah, who was also struggling with fitness at the conclusion of the series.
“It got so tight at 1-1 going into Melbourne. You just needed that experience and support. For all you know, he might have raised the bar as well. And it would have been the two guys there (Bumrah and Shami).
Pat Cummins couldn't have done it on his own, Scotty Boland had to step in. So, you needed a bowler of his experience. You know, as hard as Mohammed Siraj tried, you needed Shami's experience there,” Shastri stated.
Shami has made domestic limited-overs outings for Bengal in the new year, hoping to enter India's selection for the ICC Champions Trophy, which begins in February 2025.
