Ranji Trophy 2018-19: Bengal pacer Mohammed Shami disobeys the BCCI

India’s controversial bowling spearhead Mohammed Shami might have just created a whole new world of trouble for himself. Shami is a part of the all-important Australian tour and make no mistake, he has been an integral part of the Indian Test squad for a few years now. Disobeying the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) instructions, Shami bowled more than he was asked to.

In a bid to keep the players fit and well rested, BCCI advised the players who are a part of the Indian Test to skip the Ranji games. Ravichandran Ashwin and Ishant Sharma complied with the BCCI’s advise and skipped their respective matches.

Mohammad Shami was allowed to play on the condition that he’d bowl only 15 overs in each innings of the match against Kerela. However, Shami blatantly disobeyed BCCI’s instructions and went on to bowl 26 overs in the first innings of the Test match, i.e. 11 more than the directed limit.

Mohammed Shami would be back in the Australia Tests

“It was better to bowl for your team and state rather than practising somewhere else… The more you bowl here the more it will help in Australia. It was good preparation. For me, bowling in a match is the best preparation. I prefer that any day. I was feeling well to bowl at home after a long time. All my friends were here. It was after a long time I could play with my team,” he was quoted as saying in Times Now.

In the 26 overs that Shami bowled, he gave away 100 runs while picking up the three crucial wickets of Arun Karthik, Sanju Samson and Sachin Baby, the mainstays of the Kerela batting line-up.

In the second innings, Shami bowled only 3 overs as Kerela chased down an easy target of 40. “When you are playing a match for your state, the important thing is to fulfil your responsibility. I was also feeling well and had no discomfort. The wicket was also doing well, so I continued as long as I could… I decided on my own,” Shami added.

Shami is expected to be a part of the playing eleven in the first Test against Australia. The players have already started the preparations for the series with a few of them even playing against New Zealand ‘A’ for India ‘A’ and are now, under the guidance of Sanjay Bangar. The remaining players who are a part of the trip Down Under are expected to board the flight on Saturday.

~ Written by Daiwik Tadikonda

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