‘Don’t give me that. Just cut it and play Shami’: Gautam Gambhir, Suryakumar Yadav told to stop giving ‘excuses’

When Suryakumar Yadav announced India’s Playing XI for the 1st T20I against England at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens on Wednesday evening, Mohammed Shami’s absence arrived as a shock. The India pacer, who had spent most of last year on the sidelines, recovering from an ankle injury, was set to make his much-awaited international comeback; still, as it turns out, Shami warmed the benches, with the captain going ahead with just one frontline pacer in Arshdeep Singh and three spinners in the form of Varun Chakravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi and Axar Patel.

The move proved a masterstroke as India ransacked England, defeating them by 7 wickets, chasing down 133 in just 12.5 overs. But despite the win and India taking a 1-0 lead, that Shami did not feature in India’s Playing XI at a venue where he’s played so much domestic cricket left a sour taste in the public’s mouth. People were visibly upset seeing Shami’s comeback delayed, including Aakash Chopra. The former India opener believes that the only possible explanation for Shami’s exclusion is that he has not yet fully recovered.

“One match has passed, and only four are left. He hasn’t played the first match, and if he hasn’t played, the only meaning of that is he wasn’t 100 per cent fit. If he had been fit, no excuse would work, that the pitch wasn’t good, you wanted to play spin, you wished to play Ravi Bishnoi as well, and wanted to go with three spinners,” Chopra said on his YouTube channel.

Suryakumar indirectly referred to team combinations as the reason behind Shami sitting out, but Chopra wasn’t having any of it. With four matches remaining, and Shami likely to shoulder huge bowling responsibilities amid Jasprit Bumrah’s uncertainty, more so given India have a Champions Trophy to play, Chopra reckons the fact that the speedster didn’t play should is a worrisome development.

“Please don’t give me that. Just cut the thing and play Shami. I am a little worried. Four matches are left but the turnarounds are quick. Traveling also takes a toll. You might go in chartered flights but it’s tough. He couldn’t play the match. It means he is still not fully fit, and that is a thing we should be worried about,” Chopra observed.