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'Will Damage Winning Odds' - Damien Fleming Disapproves Shami's Exclusion From BGT Tour

Akshita Patel∙ Updated: Oct 26 2024, 12:03 PM

Mohammad Shami to miss Australia Test series with knee injury (MdShami11/X.com)Mohammad Shami to miss Australia Test series with knee injury (MdShami11/X.com)

In an interesting take, former Australian pacer Damien Fleming strongly criticised India’s decision to not include an unfit Mohammad Shami in the 18-member squad for the upcoming Border-Gavaskar series featuring five Tests. He opined that India should have let Shami travel even if he is unfit as his snub will damage their winning chances.

BCCI released a full fledged 18-member squad for the upcoming Australia tour where they’re scheduled to play five-Tests Border-Gavaskar series. In the fast bowling department, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna and Harshit Rana have made the cut whereas Mohammad Shami, struggling with knee and heel injury, was left out.

Shami's exclusion sparks debate on the internet

Notably, Shami’s Achilles tendon injury is healed to an extent but he developed swelling in his knee which pushed back his recovery process. Hence, the selection committee deemed him unfit for the tour, leading to an unfortunate snub. 

However, former Australian pacer Damien Fleming does not agree with the idea of leaving Shami behind. According to Crictracker, he believes that even if the pacer is unfit, he should travel with the team as the Test series is long, and he could stand a chance of a comeback in the final leg of the series. 

Fleming added that Shami’s exclusion will dampen India’s winning odds significantly as they lack experienced pacers in the squad who are familiar with Australian conditions.

“That decision significantly damages their chances of winning out here. I would have just brought him here even if he’s not fit until the third Test," Fleming  said.

Notably, Mukesh Kumar, Navdeep Saini, and Khaleel Ahmed are travelling reserves in case India needs an extra fast bowling arm.

Shami is not yet giving up on immediate comeback

Meanwhile, Mohammad Shami is exploring every possible route to ensure quicker recovery. He recently bowled with a full run-up in India’s net sessions during the first Test against New Zealand in Bengaluru. He revealed that he is completely pain-free but will need to play a couple of games to test match fitness. With the Ranji season in full swing, Shami can roll his arm for Bengal if a comeback window is still open for him for the Border-Gavaskar series.