Pathan backs Mohammed Shami's delayed return in international cricket

Former Team India cricketer Irfan Pathan backed Mohammed Shamis delay by saying that the think tank and the pacer will make the right call at the right timeMohammed Shami who proved his fitness in practice sessions and domestic cricket for Bengal was not included in Indias playing XI for the first T20I match against EnglandPeople kept tabs on Mohammed Shamis return but instead Team India opted to go ahead with three spinners Playing three spinners proved to be beneficial for the Men in Blue as they were successful in bowling out England for 132 runsFurther Irfan Pathan stated that Mohammed Shami is experienced enough to take an assessment of his bodyWhen youve been such a seasoned campaigner and are among Indias top 10 bowlers you understand your bodys limits well said Irfan at a promotional eventAlso ReadRanji Trophy JampK bowler reveals the reason behind not celebrating Rohit Sharmas wicketShami always provides honest feedback to the team management and decisions are made through mutual communication Recovery at the highest level takes time especially after playing consistently I believe he and the team management will make the right call at the right timeFollowing surgery for his ankle injury which Mohammed Shami sustained during the ODI World Cup 2023 he made an impressive comeback in domestic cricketShami has been chosen in Indias whiteball rubber squad against England consisting of five T20Is and three ODIs which will act as a buildup to the Champions Trophy next month where the teams pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrahs inclusion is subject to fitnessBumrah suffered a back niggle in the gruelling fivematch Test series in Australia and could not bowl in the second innings of the fifth Test in Sydney and in this context Shamis availability for the Champions Trophy is crucial to Indias prospects Irfan also expressed concerns over the lack of a pacebowling backup in the Champions Trophybound squad suggesting that Mohammed Siraj could have been included given Bumrahs uncertain fitnessYou need a backup pacer Siraj could have been a good option In Dubai playing four spinners isnt viable With Bumrah and Shami returning from injuries it wont be easy for them straight away he observed A pacer like Siraj would have filled that gap That said we hope the selectors choices perform well and we should back them he added Irfan also addressed the poor form of senior batters Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli during Indias 13 series defeat in the BorderGavaskar Trophy Indias first series loss in a decade He advised fans not to conflate the celebrated duos Test struggles with their prospects in whiteball cricket Theyll start scoring runs in whiteball cricket theres no doubt about that Irfan said Test cricket is a different ball game altogether Adjustments are needed whether its Virat managing deliveries outside the offstump or Rohit finding his rhythm ODI is their favourite format and theyll bounce back stronglyRecalling Indias resilience during the 200304 Australia tour Irfan further shared a motivational anecdote Back then Dean Jones visited our dressing room and mentioned how outsiders thought our team environment was broken But we showed unity on the field and drew the series 11 Indian cricket is always above individual concerns he asserted Irfan also stressed the importance of domestic cricket urging players to participate regularly Its about playing domestic cricket but do not play a couple of matches just for the sake of it and show that youve played Playing regularly benefits both players and Indian cricket For young players competing against the likes of Kohli or Rohit at the domestic level can be a tremendous confidence boost as they would also raise their levels to bowl to them Ultimately Indian cricket gains from this he addedWith PTI Inputs