Team India will soon be locking horns with Afghanistan in the one-off Test match on June 14 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore. They are already missing the services of their skipper Virat Kohli and the wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha due to the injury as Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah are rested. The team will be led by Ajinkya Rahane and they have also got the setback of the poor fitness of their key pace bowler Mohammed Shami who failed to clear the yo-yo test and was dropped from the squad. Navdeep Saini was named as his replacement by the selectors.

In the current scenario, nobody will like to be in Shami’s shoes as he is battling with his personal issues for the last three months which has also affected his performances and fitness. The BCCI wants him fit in body and mind both for the upcoming grueling England Test series which is less than two months away.

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One of the sources of Times of India, who is close to the Indian team management said, “There is no doubt about his cricketing skills. He is doing fine with it. The team just wants to get him back in shape – in body and mind. He is vital to the team’s prospects in England. The board has also decided to work out a programme for him and the team will constantly monitor his fitness.”

Mohammed Shami barely trained during the Indian Premier League (IPL) while he was with the Delhi Daredevils (DD) according to the reports in TOI. Even, the coach Ricky Ponting had suggested him to take a break from the team’s hectic travel schedule as he was struggling to cope with his personal issues. The BCCI is now trying to motivate him ahead of the important series against England as he is expected to play a crucial role on the tour.

The source further explained, “We will work out a programme for him and the team management will monitor him constantly. He needs to be engaged in cricket. Once he attains the desired fitness levels, he should be fine to go. The team management has been talking to him and will be spending more time with him and try to help him move on.”