Former India player turned commentator Aakash Chopra added that the BCCI’s decision not to send Mohammed Shami for the final two Tests of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25 can’t be grudged. He said that fielding the veteran seamer in a Test after a 13-month absence from international cricket might be an issue. However, the BCCI Medical Team deemed Shami unfit for consideration for the last two Tests between India and Australia, to be played in Melbourne and Sydney, respectively as well.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel ‘Aakash Chopra,’ he said, “It’s been confirmed that Shami is not going. An update has finally come from the NCA about Mohammed Shami. Rohit Sharma had also spoken about it that they need news from the NCA because those people are monitoring his fitness. So an update has come from there that they have been following his progress and seeing his workload and that they are not convinced yet.”

“The verdict that has come from there is Mohammed Shami is not ready to become a part of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, and you can’t grudge that either. You and I read the scorecard. There he has bowled and taken wickets, so we assume that he would be fine. However, it’s a Test match after 13 months,” Chopra further added.

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In the same video, Aakash Chopra also added that Mohammed Shami might be better off missing a couple of Tests.

“You start asking questions about whether there is a chance of it happening again. The swelling might be returning. You and I hardly know anything about this matter. So I am thinking the decision that has come would be correct only because you would rather lose (miss) a couple of Test matches. I am not saying you should lose the match,” he said.

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“However, if he isn’t available for one or two matches, you can manage. You don’t want to rush him in and then he gets injured and isn’t available for six months, meaning he isn’t available for the Champions Trophy as well. That would be a sad story. So when you see it from that point of view, I would say if Mohammed Shami is not going, so be it,” Aakash Chopra concluded.