"There's An IPL Before T20 World Cup 2024.."- Mohammed Shami Shuts Down Noise On His World Cup Selection

Indian pacer Mohammed Shami recently opened up about his inclusion in the national team for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024. Mohammed Shami expressed confidence that he should be in contention if he performs well in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024.

Shami hasn’t played a single T20I match since India’s loss in the semifinal of the T20 World Cup 2022. The right-arm pacer took six wickets in six matches at an average of 23.83 and an economy rate of 7.15. He wasn’t considered for T20I selection after that tournament.

The 33-year-old is currently recovering from an injury sustained during the 2023 World Cup. The pacer missed the two-match Test series against South Africa and will also be unavailable for the first two Tests against England, which is set to be played later this month.

Reports suggest that Shami is expected to return during the third Test of the upcoming five-match series against England. The series will be crucial for Team India to enhance their chances of reaching the final in the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 cycle.

There’s Still A Lot Of Time – Mohammed Shami

Mohammed Shami is now eyeing a return to the T20 format following impressive performances in the ODI World Cup 2023. Shami emphasized that the upcoming IPL would be important for him to secure a spot in the team for the T20 World Cup.

“There’s still a lot of time. There’s an IPL before that. Whoever is playing well should be picked for the T20 World Cup. It’s important to be selecting the team basis the combination. If I’m performing well, I should be selected. Who will say no to the World Cup?” Shami told News24.

Earlier, Shami played a crucial role in India’s ODI World Cup campaign at home. Notably, the veteran fast bowler was also the highest wicket-taker for the Gujarat Titans in the IPL 2023. However, his team finished as the runners-up in both prestigious tournaments.

Despite missing the first three matches, Shami secured an impressive 24 dismissals in the ODI World Cup last year. In the IPL 2023, he clinched the Purple Cap as the season’s highest wicket-taker. He bagged 28 wickets for the Gujarat Titans team in the last IPL season.

Mohammed Shami Ruled Of First Two Tests Against England

Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj were rested for the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan. They will return for the upcoming Test series against England. Mukesh Kumar and uncapped Avesh Khan are also part of the squad for the two first Test matches.

India Squad for first 2 Tests: Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (WK), KS Bharat (WK), Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Avesh Khan.

The Test series against England will begin on January 25 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad, followed by matches in Visakhapatnam from February 2-6, Rajkot from February 15-19, Ranchi from February 23-27, and Dharamsala from March 7-11.

Also read: “Nobody Cares..”- Mohammed Shami On Hardik Pandya Leaving Gujarat Titans For Mumbai Indians