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Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra believes that the decision taken by Team India and the BCCI to exclude Mohammed Shami from the ongoing BGT series is right. The BCCI highlighted Shami's continued recuperation from a knee injury as the main reason for the decision. As India prepares for the Boxing Day Test, which begins December 26, many fans looked forward to Shami's involvement. However, the BCCI and the National Cricket Academy (NCA) have stated that Shami is not fit to return to the squad. The veteran player also pointed out that the decision to rest seamer in a Test after a 13-month absence was the right call.
"The verdict that has come from there is Mohammed Shami is not ready to become a part of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, and you can't grudge that either. You and I read the scorecard. There he bowled and took wickets, so we assumed that he would be fine. However, it's a Test match after 13 months," the veteran said in his YouTube video. Shami last played for Team India in the November 2023 ODI World Cup final, and his last Test match was against Australia in the World Test Championship (WTC) in June 2023.
I am not saying you should lose the match: Akash Chopra comments
Aakash Chopra also mentioned that Shami should be off from the Test series. A rushed return could bring back the injury. "You start asking questions about whether there is a chance of it happening again. The swelling might be returning. You and I hardly know anything about this matter. So, I am thinking the decision that has come would be correct only because you would rather lose (miss) a couple of Test matches. I am not saying you should lose the match," he said.
On the domestic front, Shami played one Ranji Trophy game for Bengal against Madhya Pradesh, along with 9 other games of Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. However, his inclusion in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy completely depends on his knee condition.
