The Indian team will face New Zealand in the first international series of the new year. The Kiwis are coming to India just before the T20 World Cup, starting on January 11th. The ODI series will be played first between the two teams, and the Indian team will be announced on Saturday, January 3rd.

Can Mohammed Shami able to regain his place in Team India?

Some key news related to this series has already emerged, including that Rishabh Pant is expected to be dropped, while Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah will be rested to ensure they remain fit for the T20 series and the World Cup.

But amid all this, speculation is rife about Mohammed Shami’s return. Mohammed Shami has been out of Team India since last year’s Champions Trophy. During this time, his fitness and form have been constantly under scrutiny, leading to a verbal spat with Chief Selector Ajit Agarkar, where the two traded accusations. While Agarkar continued to question Shami’s fitness, Shami consistently responded by playing domestic cricket.

Although Shami still couldn’t secure selection, the situation seems to be in his favor this time. This is due to Shami’s consistent domestic cricket performance over the past three to four months. In the first round of the Ranji Trophy, Shami took 20 wickets in seven innings at an impressive average of 18.60. He then took 16 wickets in seven innings in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy.

Why should Shami be selected?

Overall, Shami has fulfilled his responsibilities and proven his worth with both his fitness and form. Therefore, Agarkar and company have no reason to overlook Shami based on his performance. However, there is another reason that could be helpful for Shami. Team India has to play the T20 series and then the T20 World Cup immediately after this series. This gives the selectors the opportunity to rest fast bowlers like Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana from this series so they can remain fit for the World Cup.