Mohammad Shami returned to the Indian team for the fourth Test against Australia, which is being played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Due to workload management, he was rested for the third Test at the Holkar Stadium in Indore. Australian openers Travis Head and Usman Khawaja got off to a solid start to their innings on Day 1 of the current fourth Test despite the speedster’s erratic opening delivery.
Former India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar questioned the team management’s decision to rest Shami for the third Test because there was an eight-day gap between the third and fourth matches.
“Resting Mohammed Shami was a foolish decision. You had eight days between the second and third tests. In his first two deliveries, he bowled medium-military. The batter is anxious, but he has not yet reached the plate. If he sees the ball move harmlessly to the goalkeeper, he is able to observe the state of the pitch. Then, he may begin to mentally unwind,” Sunil Gavaskar stated on Star Sports.
“Excellent bowlers were aggressive from the very first ball. I believe you are aware that Shami is the type of bowler that enjoys maintaining a rhythm, so perhaps you shouldn’t rest him. “I think it’s vital to warm up your bowling muscles, but you can’t do that in the gym,” he continued.
With nine wickets at an average of 18.44 in the series, Shami is the leading wicket-taker among seamers.
Returning to the first day of the fourth Test, Australian skipper Steven Smith won the toss and opted to bat first. Before Ravichandran Ashwin struck for India, openers Head and Khawaja accumulated 61 runs for the first wicket.
Usman Khawaja excels during Day 1
On his second spell after returning to the attack, Mohammed Shami shattered Marnus Labuschagne’s stumps, sending him back to the pavilion cheaply. Smith entered at number four and was in fine form; however, he once again fell victim to Ravindra Jadeja when he sliced the ball back onto his stumps and was removed for 38.
Shami then took his second wicket of the day by dismissing Peter Handscomb. While all of this was occurring at one end, Khawaja maintained control at the other and struck a stunning century. Australia ended Day 1 with a score of 255/4, with Khawaja on 104* and Cameron Green on 49*.
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