Mohammed Shami announced his Test retirement on Friday night. After the outcast India National Cricket Team fast bowler took the decision, it came as a surprise to many former cricketers, who have raised their voices against the pacer being overlooked by the BCCI selection committee despite good performances in the domestic format of the game. Harbhajan Singh has now shared his insights on the same.

The veteran Indian pacer has been one of the finest bowlers with the old red ball, as no bowler can reverse-swing the ball, especially in the second innings, better than Mohammed Shami. He still does it consistently in the red-ball tournaments in the domestic circuit for the Bengal Cricket Team. Though he has been overlooked multiple times now.

"I don't think, got the credit he deserved": Harbhajan Singh on Mohammed Shami

While speaking to Mumbai Mirror, former India spinner Harbhajan Singh stated that Shami never got the credit he deserved from the BCCI and the Men in Blue management. He also revealed that any team in the world would want Shami in their team, as he can bowl on any surface and swing the new ball and reverse-swing the old ball as well.

Harbhajan Singh said (as quoted by Mumbai Mirror), "Mohammed Shami was one of those bowlers who, I don't think, got the credit he deserved. What a phenomenal Test bowler he was, with an easy action and tremendous control. He could swing and seam the ball, run in and bowl quick whenever the team needed him. He was a natural, desi guy who understood his skills and knew exactly what he could do with the ball."

"Any team in world cricket would want Shami. He could bowl well on any surface, swing the new ball and produce reverse swing with the old one. It's unfortunate that he didn't get the comeback he deserved in Test cricket. In this country, the focus is often on one or two players, while the contributions of others are overlooked."

Harbhajan Singh ranks Mohammed Shami over Jasprit Bumrah

While speaking further, Bhajji stated that when Mohammed Shami was in full flow, there was no bowler who could match his skills, as he was a match-winner for the Men in Blue across formats, yet he remained underrated and was overshadowed by the others. Bhajji would rank him with Kapil Dev, Javagal Srinath and Zaheer Khan in the best Indian fast bowlers list.

He added, "When he was bowling well, there weren't too many who could match his skills. He was a pure match-winner for India, yet remained underrated and was often overshadowed by others."

"In the history of Indian fast bowling, I would rank him among the top three. If you consider Kapil paaji, Javagal Srinath and Zaheer Khan, Shami won't be far behind. I'm talking about Test cricket here. He was a phenomenal bowler."

Mohammed Shami's 2023 ODI World Cup performance

The cricket fraternity will not forget what Shami did in the 2023 ODI World Cup. He remains the leading wicket-taker for the Men in Blue in ODI World Cup history, with 55 wickets in 18 matches; this showcases his prowess in the ODIs.

Shami, who was not part of the playing XI, was added after Hardik Pandya was injured and ruled out. In seven matches for India he picked 24 wickets in those matches with an average of 10.70 and an economy under 6.

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