India, Jan. 27 -- The biggest mystery in Indian cricket at the moment - bigger than Rohit Sharma's future, Virat Kohli's form, and Jasprit Bumrah's injury - is Mohammed Shami's absence from India's Playing XI. The India pacer surprisingly missed not just the series opener in Kolkata but also the 2nd game in Chennai, leading to speculations about his future. Has he not fully recovered? Does he not fit in the scheme of things? WRONG. Shami is 100 per cent fine and raring to go, and the reason he's not playing is something else.

With uncertainty surrounding Bumrah and his availability for the Champions Trophy, the Indian team management is preserving Shami for the 50-overs. Everyone involved in the thick of things is, in fact, very impresse...