• Source:JND
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India vs Australia Border-Gavaskar Trophy: Ahead of India's highly anticipated tour of Australia for the five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Former Indian batter Manoj Tiwary cautioned the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) against selecting star speedster Mohammed Shami, stating that the pacer should not be considered for the Test series if he is not fully fit.

Shami has been sidelined since the ODI World Cup last year, where he finished the tournament as the highest wicket-taker. After undergoing surgery he was ruled out of the IPL 2024 and T20 World Cup.

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Over the last couple of months, Shami has been posting his videos and photos of practising, demonstrating his improvement on the road to recovery. The star speedster was an essential part of India's series victories against Australia in 2018-19.

Tiwary stressed that selecting a somewhat fit Shami would not only compromise his own well-being but also India's chances in the series, as his potential injury could deprive the team of a key player.

“How can you take him to Australia if he is 80% fit? There are chances of a breakdown if he is 80% fit. If anyone is not 100% fit, then he shouldn’t play. Because if you want to see the long term, then you should not play anyone who is not 100% fit,” Tiwary told RevSportz Global.

“He (Shami) is an asset. The T20 World Cup is coming up, and there are many other tournaments as well. You can take him and get his rehab done there. But it is very important to be 100% fit because you are representing India. You are not doing this for any state or club cricket team. Because we have bowlers who can come and work on that gap. You will not get the same experience and quality as him, but you should also look at the rest of the players; otherwise, they will get upset," he added.

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"You will not get the same experience and quality as him, but you should also look at the rest of the players; otherwise, they will get upset. But when Shami is 100% fit, then he should be the first to come with Bumrah,” Tiwary said.

The 2024-25 edition of the five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy is scheduled to commence on November 22 in Perth with the next four matches taking place in Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney.