Former India captain Sourav Ganguly has backed Mohammed Shami to come good in the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025. Speaking on Monday (Jan 20), Ganguly compared Shami to star bowler Jasprit Bumrah as team India bids for its third Champions Trophy title. According to the former captain, his fellow Bengal player is the second-best bowler after Bumrah and could prove vital if India are to lift the trophy for the third time.
Ganguly in awe of Shami
"I'm happy to see Shami fit because I think he's probably the best bowler after (Jasprit) Bumrah in the country...I know he'll be a bit nervous because he's playing cricket after a long time, especially with a knee injury, but the good thing is that he bowled a lot for Bengal in domestic cricket, which is going to help him in the games to come," Ganguly said while speaking to PTI news agency.
Veteran Shami will return to the Indian team for the first time since the 2023 ODI World Cup final where the hosts finished runners-up. Shami’s performance was the highlight for India as he scalped 24 wickets in seven matches, with a best of 57/7 against New Zealand in the semis. He was the standout performer for India in the tournament before injury spoiled his entire 2024.
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The 34-year-old has since missed domestic and international cricket due to a serious knee inury that kept him away from action.
Shami did not play in the Indian Premier League (IPL 2024) for Gujarat Titans as they missed out on playoffs.
However, his return to the Indian team will be a boost, considering Bumrah is facing a race against time to be fit for the Champions Trophy.
Interestingly, India have opted against using Mohammed Siraj for the Champions Trophy as he was dropped in favour of Arshdeep Singh. The left-arm pacer will be part of the ODI set having been part of the Indian team during the T20 World Cup winning triumph.