Mohammed Shami: “Obviously this is not 100 percent appropriate…”: on Pacer’s unexpected omission, a harsh look from the ex-Indian star

Mohammed Shami He has been receiving maximum attention ever since the Indian team was named for the T20I match against England. The impressive pacer has not played a single game since the 2023 ODI World Cup final against Australia as injury continued to delay his return. He even underwent surgery on his ankle before a knee problem forced him to miss the Border Gavaskar Trophy. But he has made a decent comeback in domestic cricket and was even included in the Champions Trophy squad. However, Shami did not find a place in the Indian squad for the first T20I match against England.

Former India Newcomer Akash Chopra opined that Mohammed Shami may not be 100 percent healthy.

“Shami is not playing. Obviously it is not 100% suitable for today. India decided to play with only one frontline player in Arshdeep. Hardik-Nitish are the other two pace options. England put up 4 suitable tempera. Do both captains see the field differently??” he wrote in X.

Shami is not playing. Clearly not 100% suitable for today.
India decided to play with only one frontline player in Arshdeep. Hardik-Nitish are the other two pace options.
England fielded 4 suitable pacers.
Both captains see the field differently #INVENG #AakashVani

— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) January 22, 2025

At the toss, Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav Shami did not specifically talk about his absence, but mentioned that he played to his strength.

“We’ll look at the bowl first. The gate looks sticky and there will be dew later. It will be harder later. The guys were amazing. The preparation was good, I’m looking forward to this episode. there is a lot of competition between both sides. Good headache, we want to stick to our strengths,” he said.

India captain Suryakumar Yadav won the toss and elected to play in the first T20I match of the five-match series against England at the iconic Eden Gardens Stadium on Wednesday. With four straight series wins, India can boast of a remarkable record against England in the T20I format. Led by Suryakumar Yadav, the Men in Blue will be looking to lay the foundation to extend their record in Kolkata.

England captain If Buttler said during the toss: “It looks like a good wicket, I am sure it will be a good match. There will be some dew around. It’s a great pitch and it’s an honor to play against India in these conditions. We are pleased to be together, we are looking forward to the opportunity to lead the team, he has a lot of experience and we are ready for this. incredible talent on both sides. Saqib Mahmud, Braydon Carse, Jamie Smith And Rehan Ahmed “They’ll let you through.”