Mohammed Shami was a notable omission as the BCCI announced Team India’s ODI and Test squads for the upcoming full-fledged tour of the West Indies.
India are scheduled to play 2 Tests, 3 ODIs and 5 T20Is against the Caribbean team. The Test series will begin the third World Test Championship cycle for both the teams. The first Test will be played between July 12 and 16 in Dominica while the second Test is scheduled to be played between July 20-24 in Trinidad. The Test series will be followed by the ODIs before the T20Is begin.
Why is Mohammed Shami not a part of India’s squads?
As soon as BCCI announced the squad, fans started questioning the absence of Mohammed Shami. A large number of India fans took to Twitter to express their shock over the star bowler’s absence from the Test as well as the ODI team.
Well, the reason behind his absence is workload management. The right-arm pacer has been playing continuously since the Border Gavaskar Trophy this year. He played in all the four Tests against Australia before playing the subsequent three-match ODI series too.
It was followed by a hectic IPL campaign where he played a mammoth 17 matches for runner-up Gujarat Titans. Soon after the conclusion of IPL 2023, Mohammed Shami traveled to England with his India teammates to play in the ICC World Test Championship final. With the Asia Cup and the World Cup not very far away, the BCCI decided to rest the star bowler.
With Jasprit Bumrah already sidelined, Team India cannot afford another injury setback. Shami is a key member of the team and the team-management would love to have him at his best in the upcoming Asia Cup and the World Cup. In his absence, Navdeep Saini has been added to the Test squad while uncapped Mukesh Kumar has earned call-ups from both the squads.
Also Read: India Tour of West Indies 2023: India ODI Squad Announced, Mukesh Kumar Earns Maiden Call-Up