Even if Mohammed Shami doesn't play all matches of Border-Gavaskar Trophy, he must be in squad: Sanjay Bangar

The Indian team's squad for the three-match Test series against New Zealand was recently announced, as the first game is slated to begin on October 16 at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru.

The pace attack of India for the series includes the likes of Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep and Jasprit Bumrah. Meanwhile, Prasidh Krishna Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Mayank Yadav are the travelling reserves, all of them being pacers when it comes to their bowling.

Post the conclusion of this series, India will be up against Australia for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25, which includes five Tests, starting November 22.

For the unversed, Mohammed Shami was expected to make a comeback to professional cricket with the New Zealand series, but his name was nowhere to be found amidst a swollen knee issue. Former cricketer Sanjay Bangar, however, believes that even though Shami isn't match fit at the moment, he must travel with the Indian team down under, even if the pacer is not fit to play all the five games.

Bangar also replied that the procedure of selection for all the players should never be the same, especially for a senior bowler like Shami.

“The criteria for selection is never the same for all players. It's very easy for some players. And the selectors should also do it because if a player has a proven track record for a long time and hasn't missed a match (in the past) after starting a Test match. And it is also very important. If selectors ask a senior player whether he is fit, he doesn't need to give a fitness test. If that player says he is fit, he must play that match,” Bangar told CricTracker.

Shami's mental toughness is one factor that will go in his favour, reckons Bangar

The former India batter also mentioned the importance of mental toughness of an athlete. He feels that the mental pain barriers of every athlete are different, and that of Shami is definitely more than many other out there.

“Then comes the point of mental toughness. Some players have more pain barriers and some players have less. But I don't think Mohammad Shami, in my memory, has started the test match and hasn't finished it, which is one big factor that will go in his favour,” he added.

The Maharashtra-born further went onto to quote the examples of experienced pacers like Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav, comparing them to the current condition of Shami.

“Another factor is what replacement is there (for Shami) in the Indian team. I don't think there is any replacement for Mohammad Shami at this point in time. There was a time when Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav were there. We don't talk much about Yadav because he gets a little overshadowed. His performance in Indian conditions was better than that in overseas. He didn't get chances in overseas test matches. During that time, some of the quality fast bowlers (like Yadav) used to sit out.

“So, I don't think the bench strength of the Indian team is present. I think that if Mohammad Shami doesn't even play the first match (in the series against Australia), but still, because it's a long test series, and hence, he should definitely be taken along in the squad,” Bangar concluded.