Picture Credit: X
Along with the Indian cricket team, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has also been put under scrutiny for its poor management. Citing the example of Mohammed Shami, who has been out of international cricket for more than a year now, former India cricketer turned commentator Ravi Shastri was left bemused by the way his injury and rehabilitation has been managed.
It is to be noted that Mohammed Shami last featured in the 2023 ODI World Cup, finishing with 24 scalps, highest in the tournament. Since then, he has been out of action, but was set to return in the New Zealand series and then later for the final two Tests of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25. However, none was possible as he faced subsequent swelling in his knee, thus ruling him out of BGT.
Where is he when it comes to recovery?: Ravi Shastri slams India’s injury management
Days after India’s BGT 2024-25 loss, Ravi Shastri has questioned India’s decision to not fly out Mohammed Shami to Australia. He opined that Shami could have been taken to Australia and a decision on his participation could have been taken thereafter. "Absolutely, there's no question about that. To be honest, I was very surprised with the communication going on in the media as to what exactly happened to Shami. Where is he when it comes to recovery? He's been sitting in the NCA for I don't know how long," Shastri said while speaking on the latest episode of ICC Review.
"I would have kept him part of the team and made sure that his rehab was done with the team. And then if we thought by the third Test that no, this guy cannot 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," Shastri added.
Shastri wasn’t the only one speaking on this as former Australia cricketer Ricky Ponting also had a similar doubt. "I was really surprised when he wasn't flown out even halfway through the series. Even if he wasn't fully fit, he could have bowled fewer overs with support from an all-rounder like Nitish Reddy. He could have been the difference," Ponting said.
