India Wants Mentally And Physically Fit Mohammed Shami For England Tests

Team India is eagerly awaiting to get back its premier pacer Mohammed Shami fully fit, both mentally and physically ahead of gruelling England tour, after he failed to pass the Yo-Yo test on Monday (June 11), for the One-off Test match against Afghanistan.

As a result, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) replaced him with the young seamer from Delhi, Navdeep Saini.

Promising prospect Saini had an amazing stint in the 2017-18 Ranji season. He bagged 34 wickets in eight games during the premium first-class season.

India will play against debutant Afghanistan in Bengaluru starting from June 14.

Meanwhile, it will be a huge blow for Shami, who is going through a rough patch at the moment. Well, marred by controversies off the field, Shami had a tough time in the recently-concluded Indian Premier League (IPL).

However, as per reports in Times of India, India is keen to have a fully fit Shami back for English tour, which is eventually less than two months away.

“There is no doubt about his cricketing skills. He is doing fine with it. The team just wants to get him back in shape – in body and mind. He is vital to the team’s prospects in England,” a source said.

Shami’s fitness level has always flirted with the cut-off set by the team management.

However, now the 28-year-old is walking a tightrope. As per reports, he hardly trained during his stay with the Delhi Daredevils side (DD).

Mohammed Shami would mingle very little with the boys and was reluctant to take part in the fun activities and get-togethers in the Daredevils camp.

“We will work out a programme for him and the team management will monitor him constantly. He needs to be engaged in cricket. Once he attains the desired fitness levels, he should be fine to go,” the source said.

 

“The team management has been talking to him and will be spending more time with him and try to help him move on,” he concluded.

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