New Delhi: Despite several injury troubles, Mohammed Shami continues to enjoy skipper MS Dhoni and the team management's backing.
Shami last represented India in the ICC World Cup last year. The premier pacer bowled relatively well in domestic cricket on his return.
Having made the cut to India's Asia Cup and World Cup T20 squad, Shami broke down again.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar was named as his replacement for the Asia Cup, starting February 24.
Before leaving for Bangladesh on Wednesday, Dhoni said a player like Shami could not be ignored.
“What you have to keep in mind is that you have to announce the 15-member squad one month before the World Cup. So, either you want to pick a guy who has a chance of getting fit at the start of the tournament or you don’t want to pick him and all of a sudden in another 10 days you realise that somebody like Shami is 100% fit,” Dhoni was quoted as saying by the Hindustan Times.
“That’s the reason for him being selected. Of course, he will have to prove his fitness and everything. If he doesn’t, we have replacement that we have already talked about and the guy will be replaced. If it was a bilateral series, it would certainly be different. There you announce the team 7-10 days in advance. But it’s a big stage we are talking about, the World Twenty20,” he said.
Shami has now been out of the Indian side for over a year. Apart from an injured left knee, the 25-year-old also has a Grade 2 hamstring injury in the same leg.
“He has been one bowler who has really bowled well with the new ball and also at the death. So, that was considered. At the same time, the chances of him not being fit were also considered. If he has some other kind of injury, he may not feature and that’s fair enough. But at least if he’s fit our bowling attack looks even better,” said Dhoni.
