'Shami should play': Roberts

Mohammed Shami

How come a recently-unfit yet enduring performer like Mohammed Shami is excelling in domestic cricket for Bengal and not part of the Indian team in Australia? Most cricket followers cannot comprehend this. Fast bowling great Sir Andy Roberts, too. Antigua-based Roberts told mid-day on Monday that Shami should play in Saturday's third Test at Brisbane following India's 10-wicket loss in Adelaide.

"Shami has been India's best bowler for a while. He may not get the amount of wickets Jasprit Bumrah gets, but he's the full package and is more consistent than the rest. Shami swings the ball, Shami seams the ball and Shami's control is as good as Bumrah's. Shami should play. Mohd Siraj is nowhere near Shami," remarked Roberts.

Bengal's Mohd Shami bowls to a Chandigarh batsman during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy pre-quarter-final in Bangalore yesterday. Pic/PTI

"Why did you guys bat first [in Adelaide]," was another question Roberts wanted an answer for. "India's fast bowlers bowled Australia out cheaply in both innings (104 and 238) at Perth. If my fast bowlers outbowl the opposition pacers in the previous Test, I'm not going to give the rivals the first preference in the next Test. Remember, you are not playing on Indian pitches. These have bounce and you are playing only one spinner; the ball hardly turns. Plus, you didn't put enough runs on the board," said Roberts, the spearhead of the feared West Indies attack of the 1970s and 1980s.

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Roberts felt it is imperative that the batting comes good in the third Test. "I don't know if there will be a revival after the Adelaide defeat, but get your batting right. One of your best batsmen of all-time has been struggling for the last five years," he said referring to Virat Kohli. "He needs to be focused on the longer version of the game. You will get runs and score heavily in Test cricket only when you are fully focused on the longer form. The standard of Test cricket is not the same. The top batsmen look as if they are struggling." Has T20 cricket played a role here, we asked and he laughed: "I will leave that for the pundits."

Andy Roberts

Not everyone will agree with Roberts' post-Adelaide assessment, but he knows a thing or two about bowling on Australian pitches. Thirty-nine of his 130 Test wickets in 29 overseas Tests across five countries were claimed in Australia.