Mohammed Shami returned to professional cricket after an injury-induced layoff that kept him out for a year and scalped seven wickets against Madhya Pradesh in the Ranji Trophy encounter in Indore. Even though one game may not be enough to gauge his bowling readiness in Tests, former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly feels he should go to Australia and play the second Test, if not the first.

With the Ranji Trophy taking a break in November to accommodate the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, one school of thought was that Shami should play a couple of matches in the shortest version of the game to find his rhythm for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy Down Under. 

“He must go. He doesn’t need to play the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He should do to Australia by the next flight. Go and bowl in the nets. Even if he doesn’t play in Perth, he will get to bowl and get ready,” Ganguly told RevSportz.

“The bowling unit is a little bit weakened because Bumrah, Shami, and Siraj is stronger than Bumrah, Siraj, and Prasidh [Krishna]. Definitely stronger. But fast bowlers do get injured, you cannot do anything about it. Mohammed Shami needs to be on the flight to Australia as soon as possible.

With India entering the series on the back of a 3-0 series loss at the hands of New Zealand at home, the team’s confidence level may not be high at the moment. However, Ganguly feels that India still have a chance in the series, but the Bengal cricketer was critical of the pitches India prepared for the series.

“I think for me, at the moment, India – Australia, India – England are two of the best series in world cricket. Obviously, the Ashes is there. But I think these two series will be keenly watched and going through the social media, through news and all, I can feel there is a lot of excitement in Australia. Rightfully so, for five Test matches. [Virat] Kohli and Rohit [Sharma] may not be going back to the country again after this. There is enough in this series. It is going to be a fascinating series, and I am looking forward to it.

“India has a chance, of course. I know they did not play well against New Zealand, and they are responsible for it. They cannot play on such pitches.

“I have repeatedly said this. When you have the quality of Ashwin, Jadeja, Kuldeep, Axar, and Washington, you do not need pitches that turn square because it takes the batting away. There has not been not a single 100 in that series, except the one by Sarfaraz in Bangalore. That speaks volumes on how the surfaces played throughout the Test matches. And I say this repeatedly. I said this when I was captain, when Virat was captain, some of the pitches spun a lot. It takes the batting away. Batsmen lose confidence if they do not score runs game after game, and I think that is something which needs to be looked at.

“I have always said win Test matches in five days, not in three days. And with Ashwin and Jadeja, Test matches change very quickly on day three, day four, day five in India. It may look flat, and nothing is happening on day one, day two, and then suddenly things start changing. That is what they should look at. Gautam [Gambhir] needs to make sure the pitches are better.

“They are a good side, and against Australia, it is going to be a fascinating series. A lot of people are saying they will be whitewashed, but I do not think so. The pitches will be better.”

Shubman Gill made his Test debut in Australia during the Boxing Day Test in 2020. He has racked up 1800 runs at an average of 36.73. Since then, he has moved down to the No.3 position – and doing well there – but Ganguly feels this will be a make-or-break series for him.

“I do not think the batting is fragile. I personally believe from a career standpoint and also reputation-wise, it is a make-or-break series for Gill. I heard he is injured, and I hope he recovers quickly. For him and Yashasvi, it is going to be a big series. 

“I hope Rohit Sharma goes very soon. As a team, they need him. He had a baby boy a couple of days ago. So, I am sure he can leave as early as possible and today is the 16th. If I were in his position, he would be playing the Perth Test. It is on the 22nd, which is still almost a week away. Because it is a big series and maybe he will not go to Australia after this. He is a fantastic captain, and the team needs his leadership to start with.”

Ganguly also threw his weight behind Gautam Gambhir, under whose tutelage India have lost an ODI series to Sri Lanka and then a home Test series to New Zealand. With those results, his straight talk in the press conference hasn’t gone down well with a section of fans, who have taken to social media to criticise the former Indian opener. 

“All I will say is let him be. I saw some criticism of what he said in the press conference. It is the way he is. Let him be. When he won the IPL, he was the same. You were going gaga over him. Just because he has lost three Test matches and a one-day series against Sri Lanka, the straight talk has not been looked at nicely. But that is the way he is.

“And why not? Australians, from the time I have watched cricket, they have been tough for you. They have played their cricket that way, whether it was [Steve] Waugh, [Ricky] Ponting or [Matthew] Hayden. So, there is nothing wrong with what Gambhir has said. That is the way he is, and he fights. He competes, so let us give him a chance. It has just been two-three months, and you are passing judgment on him,” the left-hander added.

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