Mohammed Shami was indeed rested from the India vs. England 4th T20I. The pacer wasn’t in the starting XIs for the first two matches but made a comeback to international cricket in Rajkot after 436 days. However, he was rested for the next match in in Pune. There were some concerns about whether he was injured.
Shami was rested on purpose
But as indicated by India cricket team’s batting coach Sitanshu Kotak and Shami’s childhood coach Badruddin, it was a tactical decision to rest the pacer from the 1st, 2nd, and 4th T20Is of the series. The plan is to manage Shami’s workload as another series will start soon.
“There is definitely a plan, looking at the coming matches, the ODIs. That is something the coach Gautam Gambhir and Suryakumar Yadav will take a call. Fitness, definitely not a problem. Depending on how they plan to build his load, it all depends on that,” Kotak had told reporters in Rajkot.
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BCCI wants Shami ready for ICC Champions Trophy
The India vs. England ODI series kicks off on February 6, and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) wants Shami fit and ready for that series and the ICC Champions Trophy. They are trying to ease Shami into international cricket, not putting too much strain on his body.
Arshdeep Singh has been rested like he was in Pune, and Shami will play at the Wankhede Stadium for the first time since that New Zealand semifinal in the ODI World Cup 2023. He took a 7-wicket haul in that game and would hope he recreates that special at the ground once again.
India’s Playing XI for England 5th T20I
Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Mohammed Shami (in for Arshdeep Singh), Ravi Bishnoi, Varun Chakravarthy
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