"Kisi ko future janna ho to sir se mile": Shami fires back at Manjrekar for price tag drop remark

Shami made his much-awaited return to competitive cricket after a year of absence due to an ankle injury. He notched up his scorching pace to take Bengal past the finishing line with a mouth-watering display in the Ranji Trophy, finishing with match figures of 7/57.

With his recent display suggesting Shami had returned to his groove, the 34-year-old's stocks were expected to rise in the mega auction in Jeddah on Sunday.

However, Manjrekar had a different take on Shami's price tag. For him, Shami's injury concerns and the possibility of a breakdown during the season could lead to a dip.

"There will definitely be interest from teams, but given Shami's injury history--and this recent one took a significant amount of time to recover--there's always a concern about a potential breakdown during the season. If a franchise invests heavily and then loses him mid-season, their options become limited. This concern might lead to a drop in his price tag," Manjrekar recently said on Star Sports.

Shami took a dig at Manjrekar and offered a suggestion of saving his knowledge for his future, and wrote on Instagram, "Baba ki jai ho. Thodsa gyan apne future k lie bhi bacha lo kaam ayega Sanjay G? Kisi ko future janna ho to sir se mile (Save some knowledge for your future. It will be useful. If anybody wants to know their future meet him).

In the 2023 season of the cash-rich league, Shami exuded dominance by racking up 28 wickets from 17 matches at an economy rate of 8.04. His exploits with the white-ball remained unmatched throughout the season.

He ended the season as the leading wicket-taker and won the purple cap ahead of Rashid Khan, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh and other star players.

As of now, Shami will continue to feature in the domestic circuit after he was named in Bengal's squad for the upcoming Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. (ANI)