"If Mohammed Shami doesn't play now also, what is the actual status?" - Aakash Chopra on the biggest question ahead of IND vs ENG 2025 3rd T20I

Former India player Aakash Chopra has reckoned that there will be question marks over Mohammed Shami's fitness status if he doesn't play in the third T20I against England. While acknowledging that a few days remain before the Champions Trophy 2025, he highlighted that the veteran seamer hasn't played international cricket for nearly 15 months.

The third T20I of the five-match series between India and England will be played at the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot on Tuesday, January 28. Although Shami missed the first two games, the hosts enjoy a 2-0 lead and will hope to seal the series before the final two matches.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel 'Aakash Chopra', the former India opener noted that Shami's fitness status is the biggest question ahead of the third T20I.

"Will Mohammed Shami be back? That's the biggest thought. At some stage, he has to play. This month is about to get over, it's the 28th, and then you have one more match, but your T20 series will be more than half done by this evening," he said (9:30).

"So if Mohammed Shami doesn't play now also, what is the actual status? The truth is that Shami needs to play. If Shami doesn't play, I am personally worried. It's not that the Champions Trophy is starting tomorrow but he hasn't played for 15 months," Chopra added.

India opted to play only one specialist seamer, Arshdeep Singh, in the first two T20Is. While Hardik Pandya shared the new ball with the left-arm seamer, the Men in Blue played three spinners - Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi and Axar Patel - in the first game, and added Washington Sundar to the mix in the second match.

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"The truth is that he will only get ready if he plays international cricket" - Aakash Chopra on Mohammed Shami

Mohammed Shami last played for India in the 2023 ODI World Cup final. [P/C: Getty]

In the same video, Aakash Chopra pointed out that Mohammed Shami needs to play international cricket to be fully prepared for the Champions Trophy 2025.

"We are a broken record. We are repeatedly saying - no issues, next match, but the truth is that he will only get ready if he plays international cricket. As it's said, you can only extract pure gold from gold by heating it. If Shami is not playing at all, at some stage, you will start wondering what the status is," he said (10:30).

The cricketer-turned-commentator added that Shami needs to be seen bowling in the game, irrespective of how he performs.

"You are not making him sit out because of the bowling combination. There is no report about whether he is available to play this match, but I really hope that he is available and plays the match. No matter how the match goes, whether he gets hit or gives less runs, picks up wickets or not, I want to see Shami running in and bowling," Chopra observed.

Aakash Chopra acknowledged that he had seen the visuals of Mohammed Shami playing in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, Ranji Trophy and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. However, he added that those visuals don't mean anything as the current status three weeks before the Champions Trophy is important.