Mohammed Shami mismanaged? BCCI slammed by India, Australia legends amid pacer's injury woes

Former Team India head coach Ravi Shastri criticized the team management over the handling of veteran pace bowler Mohammed Shami's injury recovery over the past year. Ravi Shastri said that he was surprised at Mohammed Shami's absence from the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25 series.

Shami underwent surgery on his Achilles tendon in February 2024. He missed both the Indian Premier League (IPL) and the T20 World Cup 2024. The pacer made his return to competitive cricket for Bengal in domestic cricket. He performed well for Bengal but was not picked for the last two Tests in Australia.

I Was Very Surprised with the Communication Going on in the Media - Ravi Shastri

Ravi Shastri stated that Mohammed Shami should have been part of the squad for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Shastri criticized the lack of clarity around Shami's recovery, noting that he should have completed his rehabilitation alongside the team.

“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.

Rohit Sharma expressed frustration over Mohammed Shami's absence

During the series, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma expressed frustration over the lack of communication from the National Cricket Academy regarding Mohammed Shami's recovery. Shami's absence was felt strongly as India lost the series 3-1, with Jasprit Bumrah shouldering most of the bowling workload.

Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Harshit Rana, and Prasidh Krishna were unable to match Shami's impact. After his injury layoff, Shami played in the Ranji Trophy against Madhya Pradesh. He also participated in all of Bengal’s matches in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and is currently playing in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.

If Mohammed Shami, Bumrah, and Siraj Were in Their Starting Team - Ricky Ponting

Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting believes India made a mistake by not including Mohammed Shami in the squad, especially for the latter part of the series. Ponting argued that even if Shami wasn't fully fit, his presence would have made a difference, as India had the depth to manage his workload.

"I was really surprised when he wasn't flown out even halfway through the series, two Test matches in. India's make-up obviously had Nitish Reddy there. So you had another seam bowling all-rounder anyway," Ponting said on ICC Review.

“So if Shami, even if he wasn't fully fit, if he had to bowl fewer overs in a day, you had a backup seam bowling option to help him out and I think he could have been the difference. If Shami, Bumrah and Siraj were in their starting team, I think things could have been completely different here in Australia," he added.

Also read: Watch: David Warner slams his bat in anger after Spencer Johnson castles him with yorker