Mohammed Shami injured? Abhishek Sharma reveals Gautam Gambhir's role in pacer's Kolkata T20I snub

The young opening batsman Abhishek Sharma opened up on the snub of the veteran pacer Mohammed Shami from the playing XI in the T20I series opener against the England National Cricket Team.

Abhishek Sharma downplayed any injury concerns to the pacer and said that Mohammed Shami didn't fit in the combination finalized by the Gautam Gambhir-led team management.

Also Read: Mohammed Shami's fresh injury confirmed as he misses first IND vs ENG T20I

Mohammed Shami was expected to make India comeback in Kolkata T20I

All eyes were on Mohammed Shami ahead of the first T20I between India and England as fans were almost certain that the premier pacer Mohammed Shami would make his India comeback at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Wednesday, January 22.

Notably, Shami was out of action with an ankle for over a year and made his comeback to competitive cricket a few months back. To make things worse, the pacer also faced some knee issues on his comeback and his hopes to feature in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 were shattered.

Meanwhile, Mohammed Shami was finally selected in the squad for the T20I series against England after proving his fitness in domestic cricket, and he was also named in the ODI squad for the series against England as well as the 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 didn't look fully fit in his run-up ahead of the match. Although there was no clear sign of discomfort or injury, there were fears over his fitness.

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 looking at the conditions on offer at Eden Gardens.

"The team management went with the combination that suits the conditions. That's how I see it," the explosive left-handed batsman said on Shami's omission.

Re Mohammed Shami's omission - The team management went with the combination that suits the conditions. That's how I see it: Abhishek

— RevSportz Global (@RevSportzGlobal) January 22, 2025

Abhishek, who played a sensational match-winning knock of 79 runs in the first T20I, further said that the coach and captain gave given him a lot of confidence.

"Coach and captain told me not have the fear of failure and just to go there and express myself. When a coach and a captain say that, it gives you confidence," Abhishek Sharma added.

But there has to be some reason behind Shami not playing - Parthiv Patel

The former India cricketer Parthiv Patel was also shocked after Mohammed Shami missed out on the playing XI and said:

"I think only captain can tell you the reason or the team management. It's very surprising. We all were hoping that he'll get a go after a long time.

"But there has to be some reason behind Shami not playing. If he's there in your squad, then there has to be something, which is why Shami is not playing."