The curious case of Rishabh Pant and Mohammed Shami in Indian cricket

Not long ago, Rishabh Pant and Mohammed Shami were considered match-winners for Team India in all formats. They have a proven record to justify their claims. But now they both are overlooked as the senior selection committee picked the team for the New Zealand series
and the Twenty20 World Cup, starting in January.

The showpiece, to be held in India and Sri Lanka from February 7, will see 20 teams competing in the month-long tournament that will see 55 matches to be held across multiple venues in India and Sri Lanka.

The notable absentees from Saturday’s squad announcement in Mumbai are Test captain Shubman Gill, vice-captain Pant, and Shami, all previously central to the team’s success.

Both opener Gill and second wicketkeeper Pant were left out because the team management wanted a keeper who could bat at the top, and hence Ishan Kishan fits the bill perfectly.

Team India has a huge talent pool, and that makes the selection difficult, and every time a team is selected, the selection committee comes under huge criticism. While a team could fit many batters and all-rounders, sadly, only one wicketkeeper could make it to the XI, and hence the Men in Blue will now have three wicketkeepers for three different formats – Pant for Tests, Sanju Samson for Twenty20, and KL Rahul in One-Day Internationals.

At least the selection committee can do that now, while for more than a decade, since 2005, no other wicketkeeper could make it to the Indian team, with the legendary former captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni occupying the lone spot, giving no chance for some of the best during that time.

Sadly, Pant plays aggressive brand of cricket even in the longest format and is ideally suited for Twenty20. But untimely injuries have given other players the chance to shine, and now it becomes difficult for the Delhi captain to regain his spot in white-ball cricket, which he last
played in August 2024.

Pant, who managed to fight back from a near-death car crash, will take this as a challenge to push his way back into the team, and his first test will come in the Vijay Hazare Trophy domestic tournament. The Delhi captain will be eager to prove the selectors wrong.

Kishan, with a double century in ODIs and recent strong performances, returns after personal challenges. The 27-year-old left-hander comes on a high after leading Jharkhand to the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, meeting the selectors’ current criteria.

However, while the focus is on domestic performance, veteran pacer Mohammed Shami is not measured with the same yardstick. The Bengal pacer has claimed 16 wickets in seven matches. Is it the end of Shami’s international career? Looks like he seemed to be out of favour with the
selectors.

The 35-year-old last played in India’s successful campaign in the Champions Trophy, but he still could not merit selection in the T20 World Cup squad. In fact, the selectors seemed to have forgotten Shami for all formats, sending out a clear message that they are not looking at him
for the future.

While there is always the question about the selection, the management seemed to have finally ended their experimentation, and if one goes by the squad selection, they have now firmly placed their faith in the team that played in the final match of the five-match Twenty20 series
against South Africa. Better late than never.

While the heart goes out to these warriors, including Gill, who is a class apart, it is not the first time that such surprises have taken place. The Punjab batter could take heart from the fact that even former Test skipper Rohit Sharma missed the bus for the 2011 World Cup.

The only argument that goes in favour of the selection committee is that this team is capable of winning the World Cup. Loaded with eight all-rounders, a template that has helped the team steamroll the opposition.

Mr Cricket UAE’s team combination:

1. Abhishek
2. Sanju/Ishan Kishan
3. Tilak Varma
4. SKY (captain)
5. Hardik Pandya
6. Axar Patel (vice-captain)
7. Shivam Dube/Rinku Singh
8. Washington Sundar/Kuldeep
9. Jasprit Bumrah
10. Arshdeep Singh/Harshit Rana
11. Varun Chakravarthy.