'Happy to see him fit' - Sourav Ganguly excited for Mohammed Shami's comeback to national side

Pacer Mohammed Shami is all set to feature for India in their upcoming white-ball series against England. The right-arm speedster has been named in both the T20I and ODI leg of the series. His comeback to competitive cricket for the national side would mean taking the field after an extended hiatus due to recovering from a knee injury, post the ODI World Cup in 2023.

Former president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, Sourav Ganguly, seemed filled with joy for Shami who is primed to feature for India after last playing international cricket in November 2023.

"I'm happy to see Shami fit because I think he's probably the best bowler after (Jasprit) Bumrah in the country. I know he'll be a bit nervous because he's playing cricket after a long time, especially with a knee injury, but the good thing is that he bowled a lot for Bengal in domestic cricket, which is going to help him in the games to come," stated Ganguly, as quoted by India Today.

Both players are vital to each other's success in Test cricket: Ganguly

Ganguly further emphasised that Shami's return would aid ace pacer, Jasprit Bumrah, too.  

"He's as good as anybody in the world. Shami and Bumrah bowling at two ends is different than Bumrah bowling from one end. Both players are vital to each other's success in Test cricket," the Kolkata-born added.

Shami's absence was particularly felt by India in red-ball cricket. A disastrous whitewash to New Zealand at home was followed by a 3-1 defeat by Australia Down Under. Bumrah was quite evidently burdened with the majority of the bowling responsibilities in both the series. Although he performed to his optimal best in both the series, leaving no stone unturned, a lack of a reliable partner at the other end ultimately proved detrimental for India.

Also Read: 'If you love your country, you will always fight for a comeback' - Mohammed Shami on his international comeback

Along with Arshdeep Singh, the Shami-Bumrah duo is expected to deliver impactful performances in the 2025 edition of the Champions Trophy. The three-fold pace-attack will be expected to be at their best across February and March this year.