Wankhede spell will give Mohammed Shami confidence for ODI cricket: Parthiv Patel

Mohammed Shami made his international comeback after 14 months during the five-match T20I series between India and England. He played the third T20I at the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot, bowling three overs and conceding 25 runs without bagging a wicket. However, in the fifth T20I at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday, February 3, the Bengal seamer picked up a three-for.

Chasing a 249-run target, Phil Salt came out all guns blazing as he took Shami for 17 runs in the first over on a belter of a track. However, the 34-year-old bounced back in his second over, taking the wicket of the in-form Ben Duckett. Shami returned to bowl later in the innings and took the wickets of Adil Rashid and Mark Wood off consecutive deliveries to finish the match. The Men in Blue won the T20I series 4-1 after beating England by 150 runs on Sunday.

Now, the two teams will compete in a three-match ODI series, which will serve as a dress rehearsal for the Champions Trophy 2025. Parthiv Patel feels that Shami getting among the wickets in international cricket will give him a lot of confidence heading into the 50-over matches.

"He (Shami) got his first wickets after 444 days without international cricket. He came and didn't have a good first-over, but you need a bit of luck, obviously. To be out of international cricket for so long, it's not easy, and especially when you're coming in on a very flat wicket, where the opposition are going to go after you because you are chasing 247," Parthiv said while speaking on Star Sports after the match.

"Good that Shami got a couple of wickets. Just to get a couple of wickets will give Shami that confidence for going into 50-over cricket," he added.

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The first ODI between India and England is set to be played at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur on Thursday, February 6. Shami will look to make a mark in the ODI series against a dangerous batting side like England.