Mohammed Shami Refuses To Comment On Ravichandran Ashwin's Exclusion In India Vs England 3rd Test, Says 'Need To Back Players That Team Management Picks'

Indian pacer Mohammed Shami refused to comment when asked about Ravichandran Ashwin’s absence from India vs England 3^rd Test at Headingly in Leeds. After winning the previous 2^nd Test at Lord’s, Virat Kohli and company arrived on the field with the same playing 11 that they picked in the 1^st and 2^nd Test.

However, the Indian team faced a huge struggle while batting in the 1^st innings, getting all-out for just 78 with 9 players getting out for single-digit scores. While bowling too, India found it hard to attack the home team. With England’s top 3 batsmen Rory Burns (61), Haseeb Hameed (68), and Dawid Malan (70) hitting half-centuries and Joe Root (121) smashing a century, England managed a lead of 345 runs at the end of Day 2.

We Need To Back And Trust The Playing XI: Mohammed Shami

During the virtual press conference, Mohammed Shami backed playing XI in the team in the 3^rd Test, saying that we need to back the players that managements picks.

“I wouldn’t like to comment on the selection. That’s a team management decision. The XI that’s there on the field will have to do the job. We need to back and trust the XI that the team management has picked. You can’t think of it [selection] too much,” the right-arm pacer said.

Mohammed Shami also spoke about Team India’s inefficiency while picking wickets against England. Shami pointed out the pitch getting slower made it difficult to swing and seam the bowl.

“As the pitch slows down, it gets difficult with less bounce and less carry. As you saw, we also got the edges. When the wicket slows down, it stops swinging and seaming. The chances of getting reverse swing reduces in such conditions where the wicket is green.

“The pitch was very slow today. The key is not to overthink and understand how the wicket is behaving and adapt accordingly. If it’s slow, then the key is to bowl good line and length,” the 30-year-old further said.

Mohammed Shami emerged with the best figures for India while bowling, picking 3 wickets for 87 runs. Mohammed Siraj and Ravindra Jadeja scalped 2 wicket hauls while Jasprit Bumrah picking 1. With 423-8 on the scoreboard, England has earned a massive lead of 345 runs in the match.

Also Read: India Still 1-0 Up And There Are 2 Tests Left! Mohammed Shami Not Mentally Affected By Team’s Miserable Show Against England In 3rd Test