It looks like Mohammed Shami will not be making his return to international cricket any time soon. This means India would now have to find other pace options for Champions Trophy 2025. The veteran bowler, who played his last international game in November 2023, has still not completely recovered from his injury and has now been ruled out of the Vijay Hazare Trophy. While he is indeed one of India’s best white-ball bowlers, particularly in the 50-over format, the team must now look beyond Shami to build a formidable pace unit.
India must look beyond Shami for Champions Trophy 2025
India’s pace attack sans Shami is formidable, with Jasprit Bumrah all set to spearhead the attack. Arshdeep Singh will serve as second fiddle to the premium pacer while workhorse Mohammed Siraj is expected to be the third pacer in India’s battery. The team also has the option of carrying reserve bowlers like Harshit Rana, Khaleel Ahmed and Vaibhav Arora in the squad, in case any of their premium pacers are injured. While Shami is yet to receive a clearance from the NCA, he surely won’t make it to India’s Champions Trophy 2025 squad, with another injury flare-up.
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Firstly, he hasn’t featured in an international match since November 2023. Pushing him to appear directly in Champions Trophy 2025 could backfire for India, given that there remains a question mark on his form and ability to strike at will as before. Secondly, Shami’s history of injuries is not something new and therefore the Men in Blue will only be risking the pacer’s career by forcing him into the side for the 50-over format tournament.
| Mat | Balls | Wkts | Ave | Econ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 101 | 4985 | 195 | 23.68 | 5.55 |
Shami last played for India in the ODI World Cup in 2023. After playing the entire tournament while carrying an injury, the veteran underwent an ankle surgery in early 2024 and was recovering at the NCA for more than three months. While he was expected to make his comeback in the IND vs AUS Test series, he failed to do so after not being able to fully recover from his injury while developing other complications as well. He played for Bengal in a couple of Ranji Trophy matches following which he also featured in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
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