Indian cricketer Mohammed Shami has given a mature reaction to the alleged favouritism in Indian cricket. Recently, Shami was asked a tough question about the preference of a few players over others in Indian cricket.
Shami is currently out of the Indian squad due to an ankle injury he sustained in last year’s ODI World Cup. His last international match was the 2023 World Cup final against Australia in November.
But he has already started training after undergoing an Achilles tendon operation in London. He is likely to return to action during India’s home series against Bangladesh in September.
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Mohammed Shami reacts to alleged favouritism in Indian cricket
While speaking on Shubhankar Mishra’s YouTube channel, Mohammed Shami was asked about some players who receive special favours in Indian cricket compared to others. The host of the show, Shubhankar Mishra, even mentioned a few names like Pawan Negi and Manpreet Gony, who later played for India while playing for CSK, which was led by MS Dhoni, the captain of India at that time.
Shami clearly denied such claims and said that he had never noticed such things in his playing career. He believes that a captain trusts a player whose ability he has already seen more than someone he has not seen.
“I have never noticed such things. Maybe I didn’t feel them because I rarely go out on the field. You believe in the abilities of those players whom you have seen for a long time. Like Rohit said, he didn’t get to see Sundar, Shivam Dube or Abhishek before the World Cup. There is a reason behind that. Those players were not with him,” Shami said.
Your performance should not allow anyone to question you – Mohammed Shami
Shami concluded by simply saying that if a player keeps performing, no one will question his performance. Therefore, performance is what matters the most and can silence all the critics.
“I’ve always believed that you have to give such a performance that no one can question you. Nothing else should matter,” added the 33-year-old.
Indian cricket has also faced several questions in the past regarding the preferences of some selected players. Recently, Shubman Gill’s appointment as vice-captain and Ruturaj Gaikwad’s omission from Sri Lanka’s squads have been linked to favouritism.
Gaikwad performed exceptionally well in the few opportunities he got in Zimbabwe. He is a genuine opener but got the chance to bat at No. 3 because the top order was crowded. But he not only scored runs consistently but also scored them at a good rate. However, he was not named in any of India’s squads in the T20Is or ODIs for the tour of Sri Lanka.
On the other hand, Shubman Gill was the leading run-scorer in the series against Zimbabwe but was seen to struggle to keep up with India’s new aggressive style of batting. While the other batsmen scored runs at a strike rate of over 150, Gill’s strike rate was just 126 in the series.