India and New Zealand will play the last group-stage ICC Champions Trophy 2025 match on March 2 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. The winner will top Group A, and their semi-final will be against Australia. The Men in Blue have dominated Bangladesh and Pakistan in the global tournament, with Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli scoring hundreds in the winning cause.
Mohammed Shami took a five-wicket haul against the Tigers. However, he struggled a lot against Pakistan and even left the field to get some treatment. Shami could be rested before the knockout stage, with India and New Zealand already through to the semis.
Former opener Aakash Chopra wants India to play Arshdeep Singh in Shami’s place. “Shami shouldn’t play against New Zealand with Arshdeep taking his place in the Playing XI. If India bowls second in the game against New Zealand and they get to bowl first in the semi-final, Shami would get less time to recover. If he gets injured, the management will curse itself for not playing Arshdeep against New Zealand,” Aakash Chopra said on Sports 18.
Sanjay Bangar refused to accept Aakash’s logic and advocated giving the right-arm speedster the third consecutive game.
“I disagree. Injury can happen to anyone and in any match. You can’t keep a player out because of the fear of an injury. The more game time he gets, the better it is for him. Shami needs more matches under his belt to return to his best. It would be management’s decision if he is rested as a player can’t decide himself,” he said.
Shami returned to the national side after more than a year. He was out of action due to an ankle injury and a lengthy rehabilitation process at the National Cricket Academy. He was injured during the 2023 ODI World Cup and missed cricket afterwards.
Shami was drafted into the Bengal side for the domestic tournaments. After his impressive display in the Ranji Trophy, Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, and Vijay Hazare Trophy, the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee decided to bring him back to white-ball cricket.