Mohammed Shami’s childhood coach, Mohammed Badruddin, has backed the veteran fast bowler to make an Indian comeback, which will silence all the critics. Shami has been out of favour in the recent past and was not picked for the two-match Test series against South Africa.
Shami has been in good form in the ongoing Ranji Trophy as he has taken 15 wickets in three matches for Bengal. The fast bowler last played for India in the Champions Trophy, but he has been overlooked by the selectors in the recent past.
Badruddin reckons the selectors are picking the Test team based on T20 performances.
“My thought is simple — they are ignoring him, that’s clear. There’s no other reason that makes sense to me. He’s not unfit — when a player is playing Test matches, taking 15 wickets in two games, then he doesn’t look unfit from anywhere. I don’t think he’s unfit.”
“The selectors are just overlooking him, that’s it. Why they are doing that, only they can say. But I really thought he would be picked for this series, because it’s in India and only two fast bowlers will play anyway. Still, he should have been in the squad. That would’ve helped reduce Bumrah’s workload — because Bumrah can’t play three-and-a-half Tests in a row. They should’ve kept Shami for rotation, that’s what I feel,” said Badruddin in an interview with India Today.
Badruddin slammed the selectors for continuously ignoring Shami despite him proving his match fitness in the Ranji Trophy.
“I think they’ve made up their minds that they won’t pick him for now, and in my view, that’s completely wrong. When you select a Test team, it should be based on Ranji Trophy performances. If you’re selecting for Tests using T20 metrics, that’s not right. You should look at who’s doing well in Ranji, and pick from there. But here, it looks like the decisions are pre-decided — they already know which players they want, and they just stick to that list. So all this talk about performance or fitness is just an excuse. Saying ‘he’s unfit’ or ‘needs match practice’ — that’s not true. They already have a plan about who they want to play and who they don’t,” said Badruddin.
The first Test match between India and South Africa will be played from November 14 onwards at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata.
