Young opening batsman Abhishek Sharma opened for veteran pacer Mohammed Shami in the opening XI of the T20I series against England national cricket team.
Abhishek Sharma played down any injury concerns for the pacer and said Mohammed Shami does not fit into the combination finalized by the management of the Gautam Gambhir-led team.
Read also: Mohammed Shami's recent injury has been confirmed as he misses the first IND vs ENG T20I
Mohammed Shami was expected to return to India in the Kolkata T20I
All eyes were on Mohammed Shami ahead of the first T20I between India and England as fans were almost certain that premiership player Mohammed Shami would make his India comeback at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Wednesday, January 22.
Notably, Shami has been out of action with an ankle for over a year and returned to competitive cricket a few months ago. To make matters worse, the pacer also faced some knee problems on his comeback and his hopes of playing in the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy were dashed.
Meanwhile, Mohammed Shami was finally selected in the squad for the T20I series against England after proving his fitness in domestic cricket and was also named in the ODI squad for the series against England as well as ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
The veteran pacer was surprisingly not picked in the playing XI for the first match of the T20I series in Kolkata as the team management preferred three spinners as part of their combination with Arshdeep Singh being the only specialist pacer in the line-up.
The team management went with the combination that suits the conditions – Abhishek Sharma
Shami also did not look fully fit in his pre-match run. Although there was no clear sign of discomfort or injury, there were fears about his condition.
However, speaking at the post-match press conference after the first T20I, Abhishek Sharma revealed that Shami's exclusion had more to do with the team combination than fitness. He said that Gautam Gambhir & Co. selected the playing XI given the conditions on offer at Eden Gardens.
“The team management has gone with the combination that suits the conditions. That's how I see it,” the explosive left-handed batsman said of Shami's omission.
Omission of Re Mohammed Shami – The team management went with the combination that suits the conditions. This is how I see it: Abhishek
— RevSportz Global (@RevSportzGlobal) January 22, 2025
Abhishek, who played a sensational knock of 79 in the first T20I, also said that the coach and the captain gave him a lot of confidence.
“The coach and the captain told me not to be afraid of failure and just go there and express myself. When a coach and a captain say that, it gives you confidence,” added Abhishek Sharma.
But there must be a reason why Shami is not playing – Parthiv Patel
Former India cricketer Parthiv Patel was also shocked after Mohammed Shami missed the game and said:
“I think only the captain can tell you the reason or the management of the team. It's very surprising. We all hoped he would get a try after a long time.
“But there must be a reason why Shami is not playing. If he is there in your team, then there must be something, why Shami is not playing.”