The Indian cricket team needs to find other options to bolster their fast bowling attack for Champions Trophy 2025 as the pacer Mohammed Shami hasn’t regained proper fitness to compete at the international level.

Based on the official announcement given by the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India), the 34-year-old fast bowler hasn’t been declared fit to participate in the remaining tests of the Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25.

Furthermore, the Board’s medical team clarified that Shami struggled with a minor knee swelling due to the increased workload in the domestic cricket tournaments particularly in the last few matches of SMAT 2024.

Shami was expected to get completely fit and join India’s test squad for the BGT 2024-25 based on his performance in the recently concluded Ranji Trophy Elite.  Furthermore, he went on to participate in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2024, but the situation wasn’t favorable for him.

Already being included in the Bengal squad for the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy, the veteran fast bowler is expected to miss a few matches in the tournament as he recently underwent surgery on his right heel. 

Unfortunately, Mohammed Shami’s injury challenges have been continuing since the 2023 World Cup finals, and has undergoing rehabilitation at the NCA (National Cricket Academy) which forced him out of action for nearly a year. 

Despite featuring in the Ranji Trophy and SMAT, his return to the national team is further delayed. Moreover, the ICC officially released the Champions Trophy 2025 schedule which raises several questions about his participation in the grand event as well as the IPL 2025.

BCCI Medical Team Update About Shami’s Fitness Ahead of CT 25

An in-depth evaluation by the BCCI medical team confirmed that Mohammed Shami requires adequate time to carefully handle the reactions to bowling loads as he is in the process of recovery after a right heel surgery.

At present, he is undergoing rehabilitation at BCCI’s Center of Excellence in Bengaluru. Following the guidance of medical staff, the right-arm pacer will undergo training to gain physical fitness and lose weight to adapt to the bowling loads required for the longest format of cricket. Moreover, his appearance in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024 relies upon the condition of his knee and the progress shown during practice sessions.

Performance in Recent Domestic Cricket Tournaments: Ranji Trophy Elite and SMAT 2024

Since Mohammed Shami’s comeback into competitive cricket in November 2024, he bowled 78.5 overs and took 18 wickets in domestic tournaments including 43.2 overs in Ranji Trophy Elite 2024 and 35.3 overs in SMAT 2024:

Ranji Trophy Elite 2024:

The match between Bengal and Madhya Pradesh in Ranji Trophy Elite 2024 marked Shami’s comeback into cricket after 360 days of recovering from an ankle injury. He grabbed 7 wickets in both innings bowling 43.2 overs in that match. Also, as a tailender, he scored a valuable 37 runs in Bengal’s 2nd innings and his performance is tabulated below:

SMAT 2024:

Shami played 9 matches for Bengal in SMAT 2024 and bagged 11 wickets at an economy of 7.85 in 35.3 overs bowled in the entire tournament. His performances in the 17th season against these teams are listed below in tabular form which highlights the fact that he bowled his complete quota of 4 overs in every T20 match:

Possible Alternatives India Must Consider for Champions Trophy 2025 in Shami’s Absence

Team India might need to prefer Arshdeep Singh as the alternative to strengthen the pace bowling attack along with Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj for the Champions Trophy 2025 in Shami’s absence. In addition, there would be an option to include Harshit Rana, Khaleel Ahmed, and Vaibhav Arora in the traveling reserve list if the top-quality bowlers are injured.

Moreover, the captain of the Indian cricket test and ODI team Rohit Sharma made it clear that India’s key pace bowler in limited-overs cricket should ensure perfect fitness before making a comeback at the international level.

Final Opinion:

Mohammed Shami was the leading wicket-taker in the ODI World Cup 2023 whose inclusion bolstered India’s pace bowling attack along with Bumrah and Siraj in the tournament.

Despite being the key pacer for India, the experienced cricketer’s recovery is crucial, and the national selectors would sideline him for the forthcoming 50-over format contest for these two main reasons:

• The pace bowler hasn’t appeared in any international matches since November 2023 and his direct entry in the CT 25 could cause complications for India due to uncertainty in his current form. Also, the recent injury would restrict his entry into the Indian squad for the upcoming limited-overs series at home against England.
  
• It would be less advantageous for India to include a bowler for an ODI format having a track record of injuries, that would further risk his cricket career.

As the Champions Trophy 2025 is set to commence on February 19, Mohammed Shami hasn’t received a clearance from NCA, and, certainly, he won’t be able to secure a spot in India’s squad for the prestigious ICC event.